In Memory of Craig Eugene Nylund

March 2,1964 - April 15, 2001

Craig in Junior High School

Craig Was A Chiefs Fan

Craig also had a sense of humor; here he is with his youngest son Chris

Craig's Tree

This tree was planted in my front yard after Craig received it at school for Arbor Day. He was in the fourth grade. The tree is a Green Ash which leafs out later than most trees but shows and stands for renewed life.

Below is a link to Craig's personal page; even though he was a quadraplegic he had no trouble finding his way around his keyboard

Sorry, AOL has now removed his page.

Craig's Early Years

Craig was born in Heidelberg, Germany as I was stationed there with the US Army. He, his older brother, Carl Jr and his Mother Jeannie lived there until I was reassigned state side in April of 1965. After a short leave I reported with my family to Fort Hood, Texas where on February 11, 1966 I was discharged. We bought our home in June, 1968 at which time I had been on the Fire Department for 2 years. Craig started school in 1969 and early on it was obvious that he was very athletic. All through his school years and up until the time that he was shot he kept himself in excellent physical condition. It wasn't anything for him to go out on his bike before supper and ride 10 to 15 miles. He seemed to be able to run forever without becoming winded. Even with all this physical ability he really had no interest in organized athletics, but was always doing something to stay in shape. He loved to play frisbee, volley ball in the park, work out with his weights or just go out and run. I had always been athletically inclined but he could run circles around me.

The Turning Point In Craig's Life

On an evening in May of 1986 Craig saw his wife running towards their town house with a man following behind and vocally abusing her. Craig went to her rescue and as he passed the corner of a building another man stepped out and fired a round into Craig's stomach; Craig fell to the ground and the gunman ran over to him and shot him in the neck. I was notified and arrived at the scene in time to see the KC Fire Department paramedics working on him. Circling overhead was the Life Flight helicopter so I knew he was in bad shape. I showed them my badge and they allowed me to go to his side. He was going in and out of consciousness as the paramedics worked feverishly on him. As they prepared to load him in the chopper I went to the police sergeant in charge and asked to be transported to the hospital. They agreed and as we approached the hospital a radio call notified us that the chopper was being diverted to a trauma center across town so when I finally got to where Craig was he had already gone into surgery. Three hours later the head surgeon came to me and said that Craig probably wouldn't make it to sunrise. He did survive the surgery and after many months at two different hospitals he was released to a care facility. He continued to improve as he had been weaned from the respirator that had assisted his breathing for so long.
The night that he was shot was a day before a Birthday party/BarBQ had been scheduled for his first son's second birthday. Also at this time his second son was just a few weeks old. Craig had worked in the assessor's office at the Jackson County Missouri court house.

Craig's Final Years

After almost 2 years of being hospitalized Craig was able to leave the hospital and care facilities and live (with assistance) on his own. He qualified for an electric wheel chair and used it like most people use a car. He went shopping and sometimes just plain cruising. He enrolled in a computer class at a small local school and his chair was his transportation to and from class.For many years he just tried to live as normal a life as possible but about 4 years ago decided that he wanted to get a job. He applied and was hired by the Kansas City Zoo as a roving information ambassador and did that for 2 seasons. When Kansas City refurbished Union Station, a large old fashioned train station, they included a large museum type facility called Science City. He was hired as their first Iinformation Specialist and really enjoyed the work as well as the self esteem it furnished him. He worjked there until about 9 months ago when he was hospitalized for several problems. They held his job open for quite awhile but when he wasn't able to go back to work he was terminated. He spent several months in the hospital and then was shuffled to a couple of nursing facilities to recuperate. These places were doing him more harm than good so he was admitted to a specialized hospital for routine treatment of a sore close to his tail bone that precluded his sitting up and using his chair. It was at this hospital where he unexpectedly died this past Easter Sunday. His mother coordinated a memorial service for him which drew quite a crowd of relatives, friends and even the Fire Department where I fought fire for 27 years sent a manned ladder truck, ambulance and Chief's buggy to pay their final respects. Now he is whole again and without pain.
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Craig's Obituary

CRAIG EUGENE NYLUND Craig Eugene Nylund, 37, Kansas City, MO, passed away on April 15, 2001. A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Thursday, April 19, at Grandview United Methodist Church, 12613 Grandview Rd. Cremation. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the family in care of the church. Craig was born March 2, 1964, in Heidelberg, Germany. His survivors include his mother, Jean Nylund of Kansas City; his father, Carl A. Nylund of Grandview; a brother, Carl A. "C.J." Nylund Jr., and sister-in-law, Diane Nylund of North Kansas City; two sons, Craig Paul Nylund and Christopher Scott Nylund of Kansas City; former wife, Theresa Zaragoza of Kansas City; grandmother, Mary E. Nylund of Raymore; great-aunt, Helen Gordon of Kansas City; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Louis and Mary E. Bussard and Don Nylund. Craig attended Grandview H.S. He was recently employed at Science City in Union Station and at the K.C. Zoo. He enjoyed his work and helping people. He will be missed.