Elizabeth C. Craig

Viola Elizabeth Clark Craig, age 97, peacefully went home to God on February 24, 2022. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 AM Saturday, March 5, 2022 at Salem Lutheran Church in Ponca, Nebraska. Visitation with the family will follow the service. Burial will be at Ponca Cemetery following a meal served by the women of Salem Lutheran Church. 

Elizabeth was born September 25, 1924. She was preceded in death by her mother, Lena May Turner Clark; her father, Twyman Jewell Clark; her half-brother, Roy David Clark; her brother-in-law, James Marsh; and the father of her children, John O. Craig, Jr.

Elizabeth is lovingly remembered by her sister, Juanita Louise Marsh of Kansas City; children, Heather Craig-Oldsen and Craig Oldsen of Ponca, NE; John Clark Craig and E.J. Thornton, of Englewood, CO; Jessica Ann Craig and Marisa Villareal, of Seguin, TX; Paul L. and Bev Craig of Anchorage, AK; five grandchildren; four great grandchildren; and numerous beloved nieces, nephews, and children of her extended family.

Elizabeth was born in Carrollton, MO, where she and her younger sister grew up and where her father was the owner and editor of the Republican Record newspaper. Elizabeth’s mother died in the fall of 1938, a few days before Elizabeth’s 14^th birthday. At Lena’s written request, her brother Governor Roy J. Turner and his wife Jessica helped Twyman with the care of Elizabeth and Juanita throughout their teenage and college days, sending them both to school and arranging for elocution, dance, charm, and music classes. Elizabeth was proficient in flute and piano.

In the fall of 1943 Viola enrolled at Oklahoma A & M (later known as Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She graduated with an interdisciplinary degree in home economics and journalism. She married John Craig on August 30, 1944. They brought up their four children to be travelers as they settled for periods of time in Iowa, Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Washington, North Carolina, Florida, and Nebraska.

Elizabeth first moved to Nebraska in 1964 when John became the pastor at Ponca Methodist Church. During her time in Ponca, she served as the director of the Ponca Carnegie Library. She and John ended their marriage in 1966. Throughout the rest of Elizabeth’s life, she lived all over the United States, working as a writer for news outlets and professional organizations. She loved to travel and especially enjoyed visiting her sister in Spain.

Elizabeth moved again to Ponca in 2018 to be closer to family after her retirement. After contracting Covid in 2020 she moved to Arbor Care in Hartington, NE, where she received excellent nursing care until her passing.

Memorials may be directed to Friends of the Ponca Library, PO Box 368, Ponca, NE 68770.