John Elijah Craig III, 72, of Springfield, Mo., passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 2009, after a short illness. He was born in Springfield, Mo., on April 6, 1936, the son of the late John E. Craig Jr. and Thelma (Hesterlee) Craig. John attended Springfield Public Schools. During his teen years he was an avid rollerskater, and medaled in the sport in men's freestyle competitions. The friendships from this period of his life remain steadfast as the group continues to gather for a bimonthly skater's luncheon. Upon graduation from high school, he attended Southwest Missouri State and the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design in Kansas City, Mo. Following his formal education, John enlisted in the U.S. Navy, upon application he was accepted to the Naval Aviation School in Norman, Okla., and the U.S. Navy Aviation Photograpy School in Pensacola, Fla. Upon completion of training, he was assigned to the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team, The Blue Angels, as Public Information Photographer. After his military service, John lived in Washington, D.C., then moved to San Francisco, Calif., beginning a career in the commercial and residential lighting industry. John settled in Pacifica, Calif., where he opened Cralum's, a bath, lighting and gift shop. In Pacifica, he served as president of the Linda Mar Merchant's Association. Johns 25-year association with the Miss California Pageant led to numerous awards for his set designs. An avid traveler, John toured Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, and most of the United States. Upon retirement, John and his life partner returned to Springfield, Mo., in 1993. John was preceded in death by his life partner of 45 years, Aubrey M. Lumley. He is survived by a sister, Glenda Inman (Jay); nephews, Andy Inman (Threasa), and Jason Inman, all of Springfield, Mo.; a niece, Amy Felton (John) of Leawood, Kan.; an uncle, James R. Craig (Ruth) of Springfield, Mo.; five grandnephews, one grandniece, and one great grandnephew; a brother-in-law, Gerald Lumley (Linda) of Minot, N.D.; a sister-in-law, Jana Martell (Tom) of Washington, D.C.; nephews, Garrett Lumley of Sonoma, Calif., and Christopher Martella of Washington, D.C.; and nieces, Elissa Lumley of New York City, N.Y., and Allyson Martella of Washington, D.C. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m., March 9, 2009, in Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, with Dr. Roger Ray officiating. Burial will follow in Maple Park Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Sunday, March 8, 2009, in the funeral home.