Floyd Allen Craig

 If you ever met Floyd A. Craig, the chances are very good you also learned that you were “significant.” He told this to friends and family, but even more likely to complete strangers, or others whose path he crossed. 

 “I have a word for you,” he’d start, getting the attention of the unsuspecting person who was about to get a blessing. “Significant. You are significant. God made you that way. When you got up this morning, you were significant, and you always will be. I don’t want you to forget that.” He always looked right into their eyes, and even though the reactions varied, they usually held a sense of wide-eyed wonder. The person would often stand up a little taller and smile so big, shake his hand. He gave out pieces of encouragement like that everywhere he went, even up until the day he died. 

 Craig, 91, of Franklin, Tenn., died Aug. 30, 2024, in Nashville. He was born in Oklahoma City on Feb 25, 1933. He grew up the oldest son of a preacher and his wife, along with his younger brother Gene and sister Doris. The love and solid foundation they were given made up the memories of their happy childhoods. These siblings stuck together, across three states, for all the decades, supporting and loving each other and every member of their families. And oh, they loved to laugh together. The stories they told (maybe hundreds of times) sent them into peals of laughter, and also quiet remembrances. 

 Floyd Craig did not raise his voice in anger. The only yelling his kids ever heard from him was him happily cheering his son Paul on in a basketball game, or daughter Suzanne in a horse show. He did get angry though. He was angry at injustice. He was angry at the plight of hard-working people who didn’t get a fair shake. He was angry at all forms of racism and sexism. He was angry about the late 1970s and ’80s right-wing takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention and was dismayed at what the denomination he once served had morphed into. 

 But mostly he wasn’t angry. He loved and loved and loved. And that was never more apparent than with Anne. They were married 68 years, 6 months and 5 days, and on every one of those days they said “I love you.” They cared for each other in a way that made you think, “ah, that’s what marriage is supposed to look like!” 

 He loved and was so proud of his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, friends and all his family. He was a world-class encourager, always asking about others’ accomplishments. “How wonderful!” he’d say. He was a counselor just by virtue of his empathy , wisdom, and the uninterrupted time he gave. By example, he taught those around him about the “ministry of just showing up.” Even if you don’t know what to say or do, he knew how important it was to be there for folks, and that’s what he did. 

 In addition to always knowing the appropriate words to say in prayer, Craig also enjoyed his favorite, signature prayer, said around a table full of family and friends to bless the meal: Everyone holds hands, raises them up and he says, “HE’S DONE IT AGAIN! Amen!” 

 Education and Career 

Craig was a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University (a major in Religious Education with minors in Journalism and Speech) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity). OBU honored him with the Outstanding Alumni Award in 1981. 

 As a marketing and public relations professional, Craig’s experience ranged from creating and implementing fund-raising and campaigns to the design, development and conducting of statewide communications programs for state, regional and national denominational and nonprofit organizations. In 1984, he was awarded the Silver Anvil, the "Oscar" of the public relations profession, by PRSA (Public Relations Society of America). He was president of Craig Communications Inc., founded in 1981 with his wife Anne. He was instrumental, with others, in founding Associated Baptist Press, Baptist News Global’s predecessor organization, in 1990. 

 He was Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Citizen Affairs and the Governor’s Citizen Advocate (Ombudsman) for the State of North Carolina during Gov. James B. Hunt Jr.’s two terms in the 1980s. He served as an adjunct professor for several semesters at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Mill Valley, California, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC. 

 From 1967 to 1979, he was Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Christian Life Commission, the social action agency of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville. From 1962 to 1967 he was Director of Communications for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. 

 An ordained minister, Craig served as pastor of two churches while in college and seminary. Throughout his life, he was a sought-after speaker on college campuses, at churches and denominational groups. After graduation from Southwestern Seminary, he was assistant director of public relations there; as a student he had served as manager of the print shop and as campus photographer. 

 Craig is the author of 10 books on communications, marketing and crisis management, and his 2023 memoir, Journey: The Life and Times of Floyd A. Craig. Read more about his career and life in this editorial from Baptist News Global.

 He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Anne, of Franklin; sister Doris Floyd (Roy), of Oklahoma City; and sister-in-law Linda Craig, of Garland, Texas; son Paul (Dorothy) and daughter Suzanne (Alan), all of Nashville; grandchildren Ziggy Craig (Julie), of Durham, NC; Gabrielle Lamb (Mike), of Winterville, NC; Anne Grace Robertson Werner (Brad), of Nesbit, Miss.; Allison K. Robertson Boyde (Bobby), of Springfield, Tenn; great-grandchildren Marley June Craig, Henry Jack Werner and Harrison James Werner; and a host of nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents Bonnie and Floyd M. Craig, and brother Gene Craig—and his most beloved dog, Gus. 

Officiating at the Memorial Service will be Dr. David Sapp of Atlanta, Georgia, and Dr. Kenny Cooper of Nashville, Tennessee.

 The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Baptist News Global.