Craig Anthony Dionne, of San Antonio, Texas, passed away on November 16, 2022 at the age of 65, surrounded by his family, after having endured a long struggle with declining health. Craig was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 16, 1957. He graduated, as both class president and valedictorian, from Edward Douglas White Catholic High School in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 1975. During his high school years, Craig became fascinated with cellular biology, and he focused his education and life around this passion. Craig remained in Louisiana to obtain his B.S. degree in Biochemistry from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He proceeded to obtain his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Texas, Austin, where he met his future wife, Camille Howard, while waiting in line in the chemistry stockroom. Post-doctoral training continued in Boston, MA with a joint appointment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.
Craig embarked on early stages of career and family upon moving to Pennsylvania. After four years as a research scientist at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Central Research, he joined Cephalon, Inc. in West Chester, PA. Within roughly ten years at Cephalon, he ascended to the position of Senior Vice President of Biological Research, directing and implementing research vision for both oncology and neurobiology drug discovery. He was instrumental in advancing four potential drugs into clinical trials, including three for oncology and one for neurobiology research. During these years, Craig also served as adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU Medical Center and Visiting Scientist in Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. While in Pennsylvania, his professional obligations included extensive travel, both domestic and international. However, his most important trips were to Peru and Honduras, where his three wonderful children (David, Elena, and Evan) were adopted.
Moving back to Texas and applying his extensive experience gained in the pharmaceutical industry while at Cephalon, combined with experience as Executive Vice President for Research and Therapeutics for the non-profit Prostate Cancer Foundation, Craig co-founded GenSpera, Inc. in 2003. Serving as Chairman, President, and CEO of GenSpera, he built a publicly traded, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical corporation focused on the development and partnering of oncology products. Utilizing a unique business plan, GenSpera successfully guided a lead drug candidate into separate positive Phase II clinical trials in liver cancer and brain cancer studies with only two full-time employees and 15 to 20 outside consultants.
The kitchen was Craig’s “at-home laboratory”, and he created extraordinary meals for lucky recipients. Racquetball, baseball, and chess all fueled his competitive spirit. However, golf was his lifetime favorite pastime, and he never failed to correlate lessons learned on the golf course with practical applications for life. His enthusiasm for listening to music, reading, and learning never dwindled.
Craig was preceded in death by his parents, Rita and Marion Dionne. He will be profoundly missed by his surviving wife, Camille Dionne, and children, David Dionne, Elena Dionne, and Evan (Lauren) Dionne, who all knew Craig as their most devoted advocate and defender. He is also survived by his sisters, Tena (Hugh) Tate and Wanda (Todd) McLane, and brother, Ray Dionne. Craig will be remembered as a man of exceptional intellect, intensity, and integrity who truly dedicated himself to helping people through his search for cancer therapies.
A memorial service and reception to celebrate Craig’s life will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2023 beginning at 11:00 a.m. (Central Time) at the Sunset North Funeral Home, located at 910 N Loop 1604 E, San Antonio, TX 78232. Family and friends are invited to share memories and stories. The service will be live streamed on Facebook for those unable to attend in person.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.SunsetNorthFuneralHome.com for the Dionne family.
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