Carter Walker Craigie, of Blacksburg, VA, passed away peacefully on August 1, 2024, at age 86. He is survived by his wife, Kay Cothran Craigie; daughter Jenny Riffe (Greg); grandchildren James Riffe and Evelyn Riffe; and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.
To know Carter was to love Carter. It was unavoidable. For those of you who didn’t get the opportunity to know Carter Craigie, we are sorry you missed out. He was a hoot. A goose. And the highest compliment in our family: He was a very good dawg.
As a kid, he dug for arrowheads at Woodberry Forest School in Orange, Virginia, learned to dance in the kitchen to music on the radio with his beloved caretaker, Mary Howard, at the family home in Richmond, and set his father’s shed (and 100 ft. of rubber hose) ablaze when he built a little campfire - inside it.
After graduating from Woodberry, Carter attended Williams College in Massachusetts. He earned a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. There he met fellow graduate student Kay Cothran from Atlanta, whom he married in 1975. He credited her with a lot of help in completing his doctoral dissertation on picnic traditions in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Picnics! Count on Carter to choose a fun subject that involved lots of socializing and eating.
Despite a life-long struggle with learning disabilities, after graduating from Williams, Carter became a well loved and respected educator. He taught fifth grade at Montgomery Country Day School in Wynnewood, PA, for 5 years. He spent the rest of his career at Cabrini College in Radnor, PA, retiring in 1995 as Professor of English and Communications. His students, even those whom he taught in the dreaded freshman English composition course, remember him with deep affection to this day.
In his 25 year career at Cabrini, Doc, the students called him Doc, taught just about anything he could think of that would keep him employed. Freshman Composition, Photography, Current Events, Cultural Anthropology, Geography, and even classes in his own field of expertise, Folklore! Doc told the campus ghost stories every Halloween by candlelight in the mansion. The legend of “Hiram the Ghoul” finished off his performances each year and daughter Jenny got to give a bloodcurdling scream at the end to ensure the stories really hit a nerve! He took his students on haunted hayrides (followed by hot apple cider at his home), canoeing on a local lake, and on photography field trips. He loved Cabrini like a second family.
Carter became involved in amateur radio in 1981 and made many friends through that avocation. On the amateur radio bands, his call sign was N3AO. He eventually held every office in his local amateur radio club in Pennsylvania. Because Kay was the president of the national association for amateur radio in the United States, he traveled with her to conventions and speaking engagements all over the USA and abroad – Japan, Germany, Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, England. He came home having made friends whom he later chatted with on the radio and social media. No matter where he went, he never knew a stranger.
He loved building amateur radio kits and going out on the Appalachian Trail to operate his radio. Once he sat with his radio in his canoe behind a neighbor’s house in a tiny stream that had barely enough water to float his boat just so he could enter an “on the water” contest.
Carter used amateur radio not only for fun but also to serve his community. He held volunteer positions in both Pennsylvania and Virginia affiliated with emergency preparedness organizations that may require additional communications. He communicated during 911 system outages and the famous New Year’s Eve run-up to Y2K. Most recently, he was a Skywarn communications volunteer for the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Blacksburg.
Carter loved nature and the outdoors. When he was a counselor at Camp Keewaydin in Vermont, the campers called him Buzz. He led boys on long canoe trips in the wilderness. He enjoyed canoe camping for the rest of his life. Although Kay is not a fan of boats that don’t involve cruise itineraries, Jenny became an enthusiastic canoeist. Carter took her and a friend on canoe-camping adventures on the wilderness river dividing Maine and New Brunswick.
As a Daddo, we called him Daddo, he was simply the best. He taught Jenno, he called her Jenno, to give back to our community by volunteering at canoe races and cross-country equestrian events with our amateur radios. Somehow Jenno’s location always ended up having an emergency to call in, but he taught her how to handle a crisis, ask for help, and take care of others. He continued to volunteer when Jenny and friends started a weekend food program in Radford, supporting her efforts to take care of kids in need in our community through Bobcat Backpacks. He had a lifelong dedication to helping others whenever he saw the opportunity.
As a Papaw, the grandkids called him Papaw, Carter reveled in his grandchildren’s accomplishments. He loved to watch James and Evelyn on stage acting or singing or delivering 10 minute forensics monologues. He always wanted to know all about their current projects asking for pictures and videos. Papaw was so proud of his grandbabies. They were the highlight of his life.
Carter loved his Newport-Mt. Olivet Methodist Church in Newport, VA, and his Paoli Methodist Church in Pennsylvania. The singing, the community, the love. He delighted in improving the Village Green, next door to his little church, making it a beautiful and inviting outdoor gathering place. Carter spent every moment he could at Pandapas Pond day use area and the Pollinator Garden. He believed that God didn’t exist only inside the church doors, but that outside in nature one could be the closest to God.
His final year was spent living at Commonwealth Senior Living in Christiansburg. Mr. Carter, they called him Mr. Carter, was well loved by every member of the staff. Their kindness, skill, and attention gave us comfort, knowing he was being so well cared for. It was such a gift to be able to say goodnight to him with the reassurance that he was safe and comfortable in their hands.
I hope you had the chance to know Carter, no matter which nickname. There was never a dull moment with Carter. His joie de vivre was palpable and contagious. He was the BEST “good dawg” there ever was.
A small service will be held at Newport-Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church on August 18 at 3 pm for his church family. A larger Celebration of Life will be held at Unity Christian Church of Radford on September 14 at 6:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Giles County Christian Service Mission, 516 Wenonah Avenue, Pearisburg, VA 24134.
