James Milton Craft, born February 21, 1932, died on August 22, 2022.

Milton was born in Groves, TX to James and Gladys Craft.  The family moved to Kountze, TX shortly after Milton was born and started subsistence farming.  Milton grew up on the farm as the youngest of three siblings who included his sister, Marjorie (Margie), and brother, Lawrence (Sonny Boy).  Times were often lean but the family always had food on the table, food and lodging for friends and family, and lots of love.  Milton graduated from Kountze High School and went on to attend Lamar University in Beaumont, TX.  Upon graduating Lamar with a degree in Geology, Milton honored his draft commitments and served with the Army.  He was stationed for two years in Germany during the Korean War.  If you had the pleasure of spending any time with Milton, it is a certainty that he told a story or 2 or 3 about his time in there.  He loved to tell them to any willing listener.

After being discharged from the Army, Milton returned to the States and began working for Core Laboratories, Inc. as a mudlogger in Houston, TX.  He was a loyal employee and forged lifelong friendships with many of his coworkers and clients.  He would spend his entire career with Core Lab, eventually retiring from the position of Southwest General Manger in 1985.

While in Houston, Milton was set up on what turned out to be a serendipitous blind date.  The date was not successful, but he did take notice of the blind date's roommate, Nita, and later asked her out.  Milton and Nita were married in May of 1959.  Shortly after getting married the couple moved to Corpus Christi and started a family.  In six short years their family had grown by 4 – Michael, Melissa, Melody and Mark were born.  In 1978 his career took the family back to Houston.  Milton continued to live in Spring, TX until his death, with much of his family close by.

Milton was very family oriented and held strong values around taking care of one another.  This is seen in the role that he played in the Moody's (Margie's children) lives, to whom he was more than just an Uncle.  It is seen in the way that he raised and always supported his 4 children and how proud he was of them as they grew into adulthood.  And in the way that he and Nita accepted the responsibility of raising 3 of their grandchildren later in life.  Milton enjoyed sharing his life and stories with his 6 great grandchildren over the last several years.  He was always happiest when he had a baby on his lap.

Milton was more than just a provider for the family.  He was an avid hunter and really enjoyed his time at the deer lease with family and friends.  He started a father/son hunt which grew to include grandchildren and even great grandchildren.  It was an example of how he tried to create opportunities for the family to be together and create memories.  If you think he had stories of his time in Germany, he had even more related to his time at the deer lease.  Like the time that he called a vet out to take care of Melody's sick dog but told Nita (in that same trip) that she would be fine after getting stung by a scorpion.  Milton was also very interested in World War II and as a result would read, watch documentaries, and research WWII.  It was not uncommon for him to help a daughter/son or grandchild with history homework when the subject was World War II.  If you ever had a question, you knew where to go.  Milton even took some of the family to visit Normandy Beach the site that played a big role in D-day.

Life had its ups and downs – triple bypass surgery, melanoma, compromised lungs, and eventually congestive heart failure – but overall, Milton was in good health and lead a long and fulfilling life. He missed Nita significantly after her passing in April of 2020 and used to wonder why God chose her to go first and what purpose he still had in life.  We all know that purpose, any extra time you had with Milton was a gift.  There was always one more lesson to impart, one more story to tell, one more project to see complete.

This great man, husband, father, Uncle, Grandad and friend will be missed by many.  To say he left a legacy would be understating the impact that he had on so many lives.  Rest assured that many will be repeating his stories and lessons for generations to come.  We love you dad/grandad and, though the grief will lessen with time, the hole that you leave in our lives will be there always.

James Milton is preceded in death by his parents James Madison Craft and Gladys Louella Franklin Craft, his sister Marjorie Moody, his brother, Lawrence Craft, his wife Nita Jean Schulze Craft, and his son, Michael Lawrence Craft.  Milton is survived by his three children and their families. Melissa and Steve Schmid, Emily and Audrey; Melody and Kendall Ashmore, Erik and Emile Faye, Kyle and Jordyn, Rachel, and Jake; Mark Craft, Bethany and Quade Edge and Basil, Lindsey, Megan, and Travis; grandchildren, Robert and Mariah Craft, Michael James and Jacob; Rebekah and Tyler Long, Keegan, Olivia and Parker; Ryan; all the Moodys he loved so well; and his many friends.