William John Craig

William John Craig, 67, formerly of Mooresville, NC, passed away peacefully at Transitions Lifecare Hospice Home in Raleigh, NC, on August 24, 2026, after an extended illness. “Bill”, as he was known to family and many friends and “Will” to many others in NC, was born on March 9, 1959, in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, to Mary (Molly) Shiels Craig and John Craig. His heritage was both Irish and Scottish. His mother, whose parents had immigrated from Belfast, Northern Ireland, was born and raised in Michigan where she met John Craig, a recent immigrant from Glasgow, Scotland. Bill’s mother’s identical twin, Bridget, and her family made for a lively, loving extended family when he was growing up.

Bill attended schools in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, including Mason Elementary, Brownell Middle School, and Grosse Pointe North High School. It was there that he formed lifelong bonds with several classmates. He graduated from the University of Michigan, where he majored in Industrial Management and began his career working in sales within the automobile industry. He moved to North Carolina in the 90’s as a manufacturer’s rep and later worked in business development for domestic and global companies in the textile industry. He then worked in the home improvement sector, first with Lowe’s Companies, Inc., in Mooresville, NC, and later Sunlight Financial in Charlotte, retiring last January.

Bill loved sports, playing hockey in high school and later becoming a super fan for Detroit teams and the Atlanta Braves. Throughout his life, he enjoyed outdoor activities including golf, biking, hiking, and walking his beloved dog, Dunn. He also had a passion for music with a deep knowledge of genres and artists and delighted in creating playlists for his friends.

To know Bill was to know kindness. He loved helping people, and even as he battled his illness, he found time and energy to volunteer for community organizations including Meals on Wheels and the Ronald McDonald House, where he often took holiday shifts.

He is survived by his niece Kathleen Maple of Grosse Pointe Park, MI, cousins Pauline Dionne-Gaffney of Novi, MI, and Cammie Dionne Cutter of Phoenix, AZ, great nephews William, Ronan, and Michael Brock, and special friends Duncan Russell, Melissa Birdsong, and Kristah Drbousek, as well as a host of friends in Michigan and North Carolina. He was preceded in death by his parents, Molly and John Craig, sisters Bridget Craig Maple and Maureen Craig, niece Caroline Maple, aunt Bridget Shiels Dionne, uncle Paul Dionne, and cousin Jule Dionne.

A graveside service will be held on Friday, September 18, at 3:00 p.m. at the Historic Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Oakwood Avenue in Raleigh, NC.

Celebrations of life are planned for a later date by friends in North Carolina and Michigan. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory may be made to the Iredell County Council on Aging, which funds Meals on Wheels (https://www.iredellcoa.org/make-a-donation/) and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte (https://rmhclt.org/donate/).