Craig Nelson Martin

Craig Nelson Martin passed away on June 26, 2021 at the age of 76 in Dallas, Texas. His battle with cancer demonstrated his continual courage in facing life challenges. Craig was the first to acknowledge, “In this life, we have to take the good with the bad, and I’m fine with that.”

Craig was born on August 12, 1944 to Beatrice and Richard Martin in Oak Park, Illinois, a quiet suburb of Chicago. In his childhood, Craig’s parents divorced and his mother remarried Walter Hapanovich. Craig credited Walter with being the first great influence in the man he would become, showing him how to be a man of his word, a hard worker and, above all, a good husband and father.

In high school, Craig enjoyed wrestling and baseball. He graduated high school in Mount Prospect, Illinois, in 1962. After high school he went to work for Chicago’s iconic department store, Carson Pirie Scott, and later Baskins, working in sales roles. Craig often recounted the life-lessons that he gained in his sales roles from his peers. One such mentor, Sal Cirrone, a buyer for Carson’s said, “Don’t say anything if you don’t know what you’re talking about!” That admonition has served Craig well ever since. In 1964, Craig enlisted in the Naval Reserves, serving his country for six years.

Craig met the love of his life, Anna, in 1964. They married on May 17, 1969 in Mount Prospect, Illinois. A major turning point in Craig’s life was in 1970 when he went to work for Central Telephone installing and repairing PBXs. He was proud to have completed his 4-year apprenticeship in 3 ½-years. Soon thereafter, Craig and Anna bought their first house in Crystal Lake, Illinois, where they welcomed their daughters, Lisa Marie born 1973, and Andrea Maree born 1976.

Following a job opportunity with GTE (now Verizon) in 1978, Craig moved his family to Carrollton, Texas, where Anna’s sister and Mother had recently moved. That house has been home ever since.

In the late 1980’s, Craig was able to reconnect with his father, Richard Martin. It was a precious time to rediscover his Dad, develop a relationship with his step-mother Donna, and get to know his 3 brothers and 1 sister.

Craig always enjoyed his work and counted himself as lucky to have a job he enjoyed. After 31 years with Verizon, he retired in 2009. Craig and Anna enjoyed their retirement frequently traveling and spending leisure time with family and friends.

When Lisa and Andrea got married, 2019 and 2001 respectively, Craig was particularly proud to walk his girls down the aisle at their weddings and to build deep relationships with his sons-in-law, Robert and Kenneth.

In 2007, Craig and Anna were overjoyed when their granddaughter, Sophia Emily, was born. You only had to spend a few minutes with Craig to know that Sophia was the apple of Craig’s eye. Craig and Anna took care of Sophia when she was a baby and toddler, blessing them with the opportunity to watch her grow and build a strong bond. As years passed and Sophia developed into talented swimmer, Craig was her biggest fan, watching every swim meet she competed in cheering her on from the stands and later from his computer.

Craig loved spending time with his family and his friends, enjoying “guys lunches” with his retired buddies and playing on his computer. He was a life-long sports fan with his favorites always being his hometown Chicago teams. While he liked watching all sports, baseball was his favorite. Craig would often be found watching his beloved Chicago Cubbies.

Craig will be remembered as a loving husband, nurturing father, and devoted friend. He will be deeply and forever missed.

Craig was proceeded in death by his parents, Beatrice Hapanovich and Richard Martin, his step-father Walter Hapanovich, sister Kathleen Harper and brother Dick Martin. He is survived by his brother Stephen Hapanovich and wife Ingrid, step-mother Donna Martin, brother Dennis Martin, sister Heather Reed and husband Kyle, brother Brian Martin and wife Maria, brother Kevin Martin and wife Natalie, loving wife Anna Martin, daughter Lisa Martin-Alvarez and husband Robert, daughter Andrea Pfannstiel and husband Kenneth, granddaughter Sophia Pfannstiel.

A celebration of Craig’s life will be held at Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church in Richardson, Texas on Saturday, July 17, 2021 at 11 AM.

The service will be livestreamed. The stream will start 10 minutes before the service begins. You can find the stream at the top of the Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1RIjlvmK2VIve3KCco-wcg.

In lieu of flowers, Craig would be honored with donations to:

• https://ustoo.org/, an organization that strives to raise awareness, provide educational resources and support services to those affected by prostate cancer to help them learn to fight this disease, or

• http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/goto/Sophia_Pfannstiel, an organization that funds cancer research, clinical trials, and patient programs by hosting charity swims. Craig’s granddaughter, Sophia, has participated in this event in past years in honor of her grandpa. This year, she will swim a 2-mile swim in open-water in memory of him.