A Tribute to My Delightful Dad, Departed Too Soon

A Story of Our Unbreakable, Everlasting Father-Daughter Love

My dad, Barry Craft, always dreamed of having a little girl of his own. He remembers the time at a very early age when he was introduced to his first baby girl, and from then on, he knew what he wanted when he grew up. He didn’t even know why, he just did, and that was that. The dream was anchored in his heart, where decades later a whole world would bloom, of which he could not even imagine.

His Early Life

He was born on March 16, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio to parents Bill and Marge Craft. He is the oldest of 3 sons that my grandparents loved so dearly. My dad has told me many stories over the years of the fun times the five of them shared. They spent a lot of time with their big extended family, having cookouts, enjoying the outdoors and the love and company of each other.

His childhood was simple; when he wasn’t excelling in school, he was out with his brothers playing in the woods all day. He told me they’d leave in the morning, pack a lunch, and be back in time for dinner. It was the 1960s; I guess things were very different back then. Kids could be kids without worry.

“I LOVE Learning!”

Throughout grade school, my dad was always ahead of the curve and above the average of his class. He simply loved learning. From an early age, he would consume books unlike many other children around him. That thirst for knowledge and learning new things carried on throughout his adulthood and fueled the business he and I would ultimately co-create.

Wisdom From My Dad

With all the learning he did, especially the learning experiences of life, came bounds of wisdom to glean. This source of wisdom, I’ve learned, runs abundantly as there is always something to learn from life.

My dad and I could talk for HOURS about life lessons and how we can ultimately be better versions of ourselves. We’d experience something in ourselves or within our business that caused some form of resistance, to where we felt stuck, and we’d talk it out until we found a solution leading us through. He was the easiest person to talk to and was always a wonderful student, and teacher.

A Few Things I Learned From My Dad

Humor

Ask anyone who knew my dad what a few of his most endearing qualities were and surely humor makes the list. Everyone knew my dad for his big smile, joyful spirit, contagious laugh, and witty sense of humor. He could find humor in about every situation, even if it was inappropriate teenage-boy humor. Parts of him never grew up. He was a big kid inside ready to have a good laugh and share the laughter with others.

Awareness

One cannot change a thing if one is unaware of what to change. Awareness is the first step toward changing anything. One must first become aware in order to make changes in one’s life. You can’t change what you are unaware of. You can’t change what you can’t see. These are all variations of the same concept I’d hear from my dad at different points in my life. He is 100% correct.

He practiced being more aware through meditation and inspired many people in his everyday life to become more aware of themselves and their choices so they could lead better lives. This rippled into our business as well where he would enlighten business owners with his knowledge of the marketing realm and show them better ways to do business.

Love

“Daddy? What is love?” I remember being in the car one day when I was about 7 asking my dad this loaded question. It was innocent to me, but after the divorce with my mom a few years prior, his answer was simply and innocently, “I don’t know..” But in his mind, he was probably thinking, I was in love with your mom, but now that that’s gone, I don’t know. It wasn’t a very reassuring answer to me at the time, but now knowing where he was at in life, what could I really expect?

Over time, I learned on my own what love is, from him, but without talking about it. While he told me he didn’t know, it was very much in our nature to love each other, forgive each other, have patience for one another, and to want the best for each other. While we never had a conversation about what love is, it was unquestionably demonstrated in our every interaction.

We would spend time on the phone talking for hours about life and possibilities and later, our business. We would make each other greeting cards by hand and share them on special occasions. (I have a whole collection to cherish from throughout the decades.) We loved nature and visits to the park for an afternoon walk or the beach in time for the glorious Florida sunset over the water.

We would be there for one another in whatever way we could to offer support, guidance, or just presence. We showed each other how much we loved each other by the amount and quality of time we gave to and share with one another. And the more we gave, the better we felt. It became an endless cycle.

Life Lessons

There are countless other lessons I learned from my dear father over the years. I learned from his good decisions as much as I learned from his mistakes. No one is perfect. We are all human, designed to learn, which involves making mistakes here and there. To that, there is one statement he would always say.

“Don’t be worried about making the right decision, just make the decision right.”

That advice helped me move through those times when I felt my options were limited and I was afraid of making the “wrong” decision. It helped me see that I can make things right by whatever choice I make, even if I am unsure of it initially. It gives me space to breathe and trust.

Our Business

In 2010, my dad and I went into business together. We had a wonderful personal relationship and always enjoyed collaborating, so it was an obvious good fit. We created an online company offering various services over the years like designing print materials and websites, SEO, reputation marketing, and most recently, chatbot marketing.

It was always a dream of his to have this business with “Kristin, my daughter, best friend, and business partner.” The business was truly his passion and life’s work and I’m grateful to have played my part, and still do, to make that dream of his come true. As the business grew and evolved over the years, so did we. We certainly had tough times, but our love and honest communication has always carried us through.

April 2021

My dad was at the highest point in his life in April 2021. He’d done a lot of his inner work to free himself of the burdens he carried from the past and was living his life truly grateful for every day he woke up.

He LOVED mornings. No matter what the day was like before, no matter how it ended or how stressed he may have felt, he woke up every morning feeling brand new and ready for the challenges and adventures of the new day. I admired that about him since my mornings were nothing like that. I believe that inspired him to carry on and go the extra mile, day in and day out.

All the inner work my dad had done brought out his sweetest, most irresistibly lovable and hugable panda bear self. He was extra funny, calm and heart-centered, in the flow of life, and loving every moment. I was so blessed to share this special time with him. Days I will cherish forever.

May 2021

Then came May 2021. My dad unknowingly contracted Covid; actually, the entire household did, including myself. With the pandemic seemingly coming to an end, we didn’t know what hit us. I recovered fairly quickly, allowing me to try to take care of my dad, thinking he would recover, from this “flu”, like the rest of us.

His body however took it on much worse, and because I wasn’t even fully recovered myself and I couldn’t provide the necessary care, I took him to the ER. He spent seventeen days fighting for his life in the ICU. I spent those seventeen days of May calling the hospital, talking to every nurse around the clock, as our family prayed non-stop for my dad to come home and be well again.

Twenty-four days after he first showed signs of Covid, his body surrendered to the virus and the aggressive Covid treatments, and passed on to Eternal Heaven to be one with the Universe once again.

I was there with him as much as I could be, all the way to the end, adhering to Covid restrictions, because I had to see him; I had to be there for him when he passed. I was so stunned at what happened but seeing it gave me one level of closure. It’s still hard to believe, then again, it only happened 2 weeks ago.

After His Life

My dad was a wonderful man. He gave life his ALL and left a mark on this world. He lived in gratitude for life and appreciation for nature. He experienced THE BEST life had to offer him before time ran out, for which I am truly grateful, because that involved me.

I know he is so proud of his journey here on Earth, because I am too. He came a long way in his personal development endeavors and brought a lot of light into my life and the world around him.

He was the best dad I could ask for. He was patient and loving with me through my downs and ups, we had lots of fun together, and he’s always been there for me. We’re so much alike, I know his spirit lives on through me as he guides me through the grieving process and my journey onward and upward.

With the pure love we share in my heart, I am living all my days in his honor. Everything for you, Dad. Now I understand why you did everything for me.

Support the Craft Family

If you’ve been inspired by the story my dad’s journey, or at least this small portion of it, and feel a desire to contribute in some way, our family welcomes donations to help support us through this unexpected transition. I can’t say we were prepared for this type of life change, and we are most appreciative of all help we receive. May whatever you give return to you 100 times with love and blessings.

Give here: https://fundly.com/support-the-crafts-after-losing-father-to-covid-19

Helping Other Survivors

If you or someone else you know of is surviving the death of a loved one to Covid, I have also written about a few things I’m going through, and growing through, right now along my own journey. I’ve found them to be helpful to this healing process and I’m sure others will benefit from the enlightening perspectives as well. Read the story here: Surviving the Death of A Loved One to Covid-19