James Ralph Craig

James Ralph Craig (Jim) passed away on December 6, 2024, at the age of eighty-six in Bozeman, Montana.

Jim was born to Ralph and Ruby Craig on March 24, 1938. He was the youngest of four brothers and grew up on a dryland wheat farm north of Carter, Montana. Jim attended the one- room O’Reilly school for the first eight grades, just down the road from where he lived. From an early age, Jim was an avid reader, particularly of western pocketbooks, an avocation that continued throughout the rest of his life. Growing up during World War II, he was also an amateur history buff and enjoyed reading books on that subject as well. High school was spent in Fort Benton, where he boarded with local families during the week, returning home only on weekends to work on the family farm. Jim told a story about one house he stayed at having little insulation and being able to scrape frost from his bedroom walls. All was not hardship though, as he admitted to seeing almost every movie that came to the local theater during that time. He graduated from Fort Benton High School in May 1956.

That fall, Jim began his tenure at Montana State College, where, after a brief stint in engineering, he switched to the College of Business to pursue a degree in commerce. During that time, he was a founding member of the MSC chapter of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, worked as business manager for the Exponent, and enrolled in the ROTC program. In the Spring of 1958, a high school classmate introduced him to his future wife, Helen Valach. Jim and Helen dated through November of that year, after which Jim proposed, and the couple were married on August 30, 1959, at the First Presbyterian Church in Lewistown. They completed their senior years together, both graduating with bachelor’s degrees in 1960.

Deferring military service for a year, Jim completed a master’s degree in education in 1961. Following graduation, Jim and Helen were off to Fort Monmouth in Long Branch, New Jersey, where Jim began his service in the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Signal Corps. What was supposed to be a six-month assignment was extended to sixteen months due to the construction of the Berlin Wall. Jim and Helen enjoyed their time on the East Coast, spending many weekends exploring the nearby states. Following discharge from the service, Jim spent a few years in banking, first in Livingston, Montana, and then Menlo Park, California. During this time, the couple started their family with the birth of Jennifer in 1964 in Mountain View, California. In 1966, Jim was offered the Director of Student Financial Aid position, at now Montana State University, and the family returned to Bozeman. Shortly thereafter, Jeffrey was born in early 1967. 

Jim served as Director of Student Financial Aid at Montana State University for 35 years. He entered the financial aid profession in its infancy and helped shape it into the essential service it is today, providing students with the opportunity to afford college. Over the years, he served and led several state, regional, and national financial aid organizations. In 1988, he was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Hall of Fame. That same year, he was also appointed to serve on the House Congressional Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, where he served for six years, three of which as chairperson. Jim found his financial aid career extremely rewarding and, after years of retirement, enjoyed it when former students approached him with thanks for the help he provided.

It became clear to Jim that to raise his family in Bozeman, he needed a sideline, so in 1970, he and Helen opened a Hallmark card and gift shop, Jays, in downtown Bozeman. A year later, they opened a second location, Robins, in the then Buttrey’s shopping center. This kept them both busy. For over eighteen years, Jim worked full-time at his day job and managed the store business in the evenings and on weekends. 

In the 1970s and 1980s, Jim participated in various local organizations, including Optimists, Masons, and Shriners, as well as serving on the Bozeman city-county planning board for ten years. Jim and Helen also loved a good road trip, and during this time, the family went on many “memorable” summer vacations in the West - think cranky, sweaty, unbuckled kids in the back of a station wagon. Jim was also an avid and very savvy card player. He played poker with the same group of friends for more than thirty years, pinochle with his family, and, of course, cribbage, which over the years he taught all five of his grandchildren to play. He and Helen also participated in the local Order of the White Shrine for several years. 

Jim retired from the university in 2001 and filled his time with what he enjoyed the most: reading, traveling with Helen, his weekly retiree coffee klatch, attending MSU basketball games, his grandchildren in Billings, and napping. In 2008, Jim got his last pet, Pepper, a black miniature dachshund. Although Jim never said it out loud, some in his family suspected that Pepper, his almost constant companion for 13 years, was his favorite child. 

During Jim’s final years his world got smaller and smaller, as dementia claimed his memories. Throughout this difficult journey, his family was lucky that Jim stayed happy and was able to remain at home until the last few months of his life. Special thanks to the staff from Home Instead, Spring Creek Inn, and Inhabit Hospice for the excellent care he received at the end.

Jim is survived by his wife of 65 years, Helen; his daughter, Jennifer (Ludlow) Howe of Billings, Montana; son, Jeff, of Richland, Washington; grandchildren Hunter (Sam Leuthold), Harrison, Holland, Harper, and Holden Howe; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Ruby, and his brothers and their spouses: Robert (Kiki), Donald (Jackie), and Richard (Doris). 

Jim’s life will be celebrated on May 10 at 11:00 am at the First Presbyterian Church in Bozeman. Memorials may be made in Jim’s name to Shriners Hospitals for Children, the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter in Bozeman, or an organization of your choice.