Craig William Dayhuff

Craig William Dayhuff, 69, passed away unexpectedly on January 21, 2025. He was third of the 8 children of Richard and Myrle Dayhuff. Craig was a cute little boy and loved all the things little boys love. He was adventurous and happy. He loved chasing after his brothers and following his dad around.

When Craig was a young boy, the curvature in his back was noted and the diagnosis of scoliosis was given. His health was always a challenge from then on. Before the age of 18, he had two major corrective surgeries performed on his spine. He had to wear a full body cast after those surgeries for close to a year each time as a teenager. It was not unusual for strangers to stop him and ask what happened. He often replied that he was hang-gliding over cliffs in California and that he fell into the sea breaking his back. He loved to see their eyes get big and congratulate him on being so brave. Other surgeries followed in his adult years. It was very difficult for him to have a normal life with the pain and difficulties associated with his back.

Even with his health challenges, his adventurous spirit continued in his adult life. His favorite place on earth was Zion National Park and Angel’s Landing. He successfully climbed to the top on more than one occasion and always loved his time in that canyon. He also enjoyed trips to Machu Picchu and Hawaii. He loved road trips.

Another favorite destination for Craig was Las Vegas to see the Blue Man group. He loved their performances and invited some of his nephews to accompany him and share the Blue Man Experience. He was a wonderful uncle to the nieces and nephews in the family and they were loved by him as his own family. Craig never married.

One of his favorite activities when accompanying the families on trips to St. George was “diving for dollars”. He sponsored this event. He would bring rolls of silver dollars and gold coins and drop them to the bottom of the pool. His nieces and nephews would scour the bottom of the pool collecting gold and silver coins. They would come to the surface and holler “I found a silver!” Some of those gold and silver coins have been saved by these kids as a fond memory of good times with Uncle Craig.

Craig worked for the Federal Reserve for 30 years and retired with many awards for his work performance. Craig was active in the Big Brother program in Salt Lake City for many years and sponsored 2 young boys in mentoring and helping them. Craig spent his last working years at Service Master doing scheduling, building relationships with employees and more importantly building relationships with his nieces and nephews. They were his life savers during that stage of his life.

Craig loved collecting things. He had a passion for Swatches and has an extensive collection that decorates the walls of his home. He also collected Swiss army knives and has a vast collection of original metal Matchbox cars still in their original boxes. Craig loved Sushi, cherry pie, cherry coke and cherry lifesavers. He was known to gather all the cherry lifesavers from the candy bowl at Legacy House until Annette, his sister, got him his own supply.

The family is forever grateful for the loving care of the staff at Legacy House in Bountiful. Through their interactions, the staff turned a light on in Craig’s heart that was noticed by all in his family. Craig made new friends at Legacy House and became quite the Bingo player. Craig would tell his sisters not to come visit on “Bingo night with Dave.”

We are happy for Craig to be relieved of the pain that he has lived with all his life. We loved his wry smile. He was the brother we loved to love. He was the most enjoyable Eeyore, the greatest grinch, and a big tease. We are happy for his reunion with our brother Steven, and our mom and dad.

Rest in peace and without pain our dear brother, Craig.

Preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, Steven. Survived by his siblings Kathy (Bob) Fairbanks, Terry Dayhuff (sister-in-law), David (Ruth) Dayhuff, Laraine (Bill) Moon, Neil Dayhuff, Liz ( Sam) Beall, Annette (Jed) Ludlow…… and a multitude of nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at the Lakeview Ward Chapel, 455 South 1200 East, Bountiful, Utah.