David William Craig passed away on December 4, 2019. He was born October 11, 1937, in Odessa, Texas, son of Theodore Craig and Dorothy Davis Craig. When he was two, the family moved to Peabody, Kansas where he grew up on the family farm. He graduated from Peabody High School in 1955. David attended Kansas State University where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and met his future wife Virginia Caldwell of Kansas City, Missouri. His college years were good years and he made many lasting friends. He graduated in 1960 with a degree in Civil Engineering. David and Virginia were married in 1960 in Kansas City and made their home in Topeka.
David graduated from Washburn University Law School in 1963 and began work with the legal department of the Kansas Highway Commission on condemnation cases throughout Kansas. He met many real estate appraisers while working and became interested in appraising as his next career. David and Virginia founded David Craig & Co., Inc. Real Estate Appraising and Counseling, which at one time had offices in Topeka, Kansas City, Manhattan, Wichita, and Denver. David appraised properties throughout the United States ranging from agricultural and large commercial projects to the land for the Denver Airport and even a nuclear power plant. He frequently testified as an expert witness for the Justice Department.
David was active in the state and national appraisal communities and loved to teach the profession to others. He taught appraisal courses in over thirty states from the 1970s to the 1990s. He was president of the Topeka Board of Realtors. David served as President of the Kansas Chapter of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and, in 1985, became the national president. David also served as president of The Appraisal Foundation which was established by Congress to set up standards for state licensing and certification of appraisers.
In 1999, after several months of illness, he received a heart transplant. David and his family are forever grateful for this gift of life from the donor family and the care provided over the years by the dedicated doctors and staff at St. Luke’s Hospital. David was blessed with 20 extra years with family and friends.
David and Virginia moved to Leawood, Kansas in 2003. He enjoyed connecting with old friends, playing golf, traveling, and working at the Village Church Food Pantry.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Barbara Hodges. In addition to Virginia, he is survived by his children, Ted and Alice, his sister Susan, his grandchildren, Alex, Sofi, Sam, and Ben, and by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Services will be Tuesday, December 10, at 2:00 p.m. at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Rd., Prairie Village, Kansas 66208.
In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest contributions to the Village Church Food Pantry or the St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation for the Heart Transplant Program at 4401 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO 64111.
Business Associate ,Mission ,Kansas
My sincere condolences on the passing of David. I took a couple of appraisal classes from him in my early years of appraising and appreciated him taking his time and sharing with his colleagues and his profession. He was a good teacher and helped to shape the initial phases of my career with his teachings. I know there are many in this profession that owe a debt of gratitude to him for his sacrifices and commitment.
Real estate appraiser ,COLUMBIA ,Missouri
Craig Family Sorry to see that David passed. My condolences to you. I met David as I was entering the appraisal profession just out of college at MU. He was always very friendly to me and willing to share his knowledge and other information. I always looked up to him and had the pleasure to attend some classes he taught. He was a credit to the profession. Allan
Business associate ,Manhattan ,Kansas
Craig Family, Please accept my condolences for your loss. I am work for the Simmons Company in Manhattan. Our firm was founded by Fletcher Simmons, who trained me and eventually sold me a portion of his business. Fletcher passed away in 2016, but his mentor was David. Fletcher talked about David often, and during my training to become an appraiser, Fletcher passed on much of David's appraisal knowledge and expertise. Now that Fletcher is gone, I have continued to run The Simmons Company, and have trained numerous appraisers and usually, in our first week we discuss the lineage of our knowledge, and it all traces back to David. He is a legend in the business. Although I never met David in person, I certainly feel like I knew him. His legacy will continue to live through The Simmons Company, as well as all of the other appraisers he trained and educated over the years. The Simmons Company is so sorry for your loss. Bill Lansdowne
