Ford Morris Craig was born on November 3, 1948, at the old Methodist Hospital in Omaha to Norman and Betty (Tuma) Craig. He died on February 6, 2025, at the age of 76 years, 4 months and 3 days.

About three years after Ford was born, his parents returned to the Craig Homestead farm. As a youngster, Ford helped with the livestock and the fieldwork—operating a Ford N-series tractor (8N), a Jubilee Ford Tractor, and a WD 45 Allis Chalmers tractor. To a degree, he was accident-prone—being run over by the rear wheel of the Ford Jubilee tractor in 1962 and involved in a serious car accident in the fall of 1966.

During college, he played bass guitar in the band, "The Web of Sound," which was inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame in July 2019. On the farm, he liked the fieldwork and crops but had minimal interest in raising livestock. The hope was that he would become a farmer and continue at the Homestead as such, but that was not the direction he took with his life's work.

Ford attended a rural grade school near Leigh and graduated from Leigh High School in 1967. He attended Wayne State College shortly thereafter.

On August 15, 1970, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, Doris Severin, in Leigh, Nebraska, and together they had two daughters, Jody and Jill.

Ford spent nearly 50 years of his life in education. In his early working years, he was a high school English teacher, then a community college English faculty member and research administrator. Later, he taught doctoral-level graduate classes. He held bachelor's and master's degrees in English, an educational specialist degree in administration and an educational doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in institutional research and student assessment. He wrote and published two books on the history of the Mid Plains Community College Area --Part 1 in 2010 and Part 2 in 2012. He taught an online and sometimes on-site master's level research and evaluation class for Concordia University in Seward.

Faith was important to him. He was baptized at the First Presbyterian Church in North Platte in the spring of 1974. In 2011, he completed a three-year program to become a certified lay pastor. He was certified to serve P.C. USA Presbyterian, UCC Congregational, Disciples of Christ, ELCA, and American Baptist churches in Nebraska. From 2012 to 2015, Ford served as a commissioned lay pastor in Stapleton. Ford did pulpit supply preaching in North Platte, Stapleton, Broken Bow, Hebron, Gresham, York, Leigh, Platte Center, Palmyra, Wahoo and Clarkson. Beginning January 1, 2021, Ford served as pastor at Friedens United Church of Christ in Seward, Nebraska. He was serving Friedens at the time of his death. His church communities were essential to him throughout his life.

Ford enjoyed spending time with friends and family, telling stories, fixing cars, hunting, traveling, cooking, writing, walking the dog, gardening at the Smallfoot garden, and working on the genealogy of his family history. Being a present grandpa was one of his most important life's work. He always made time for his three granddaughters and had a special bond with each of them. He gave McKenzie many tractor rides when she was little and was looking forward to seeing her begin college. He loved gardening and working on projects with Zoey, and he had a soft spot for Cora, always referring to her as "little bean." Ford and Doris spent many of their retired years traveling the world with a group of lifelong friends, and he was already planning their next trip.

Those left to cherish Ford's memory are his wife of 53 years, Doris Craig of Seward, Nebraska; daughter, Jody Craig of Lincoln, Nebraska; and daughter, Jill (Thom) Martin of Seward, Nebraska; granddaughters McKenzie Martin, Zoey Martin and Coralynn Martin of Seward, Nebraska; sisters-in-law Dianne (Wayne) Hellbusch of Columbus, Nebraska and Darlene Charipar of Leigh, Nebraska; cousins Lynn (Julie) Craig of Clemson, South Carolina, Doug (Brooke) Craig of Ashland, Nebraska; Debbie (Lucas) Goldsby of Knob Noster, Missouri; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who were like family to him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Norman and Betty Craig; in-laws Fred and Ethel Severin; cousins Bruce and Jane Craig and Morris Craig; brother-in-law Frankie Charipar; nephew Rick Charipar, and infant grandson Thomas Howard Martin.