Obituary of Henry Craft

Henry N. Craft of Chattanooga passed away peacefully on December 19, 2024,surrounded by his family. Henry was born October 19, 1949, and raised on a farm in Proctor, Arkansas. At age twelve, he and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where his father practiced law. Henry graduated from Memphis University School in 1967 and Vanderbilt University in 1971, majoring in Political Science. He earned his law degree in 1980 from the Mississippi College of Law and began law practice with the law firm of Craft and Craft. His proudest accomplishments during this time were being elected and serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives as its member from Memphis’ District 90 and then being chosen as Memphis’ delegate to the Libertarian National Convention. In 1989, he moved to Connecticut to fill a seat on the New York Commodities Exchange. In 2000, he relocated to Chattanooga to join with other family members, where he worked for Goodwill Industries and later began enjoying his retirement years. Henry was truly one of a kind. Episcopal monk, Brother Ron Fender, Henry's spiritual advisor, renamed Henry "The Gentle Giant,” saying Henry was large in stature and even larger in his gentle spirit and good humor--never judging anyone. Henry’s motto was “live and let live.” Henry loved Turner Classic Movies, was a world history buff with a passion for politics, and a news junkie, often watching three news channels on TV all at once. He was an active Libertarian, a confirmed Episcopalian, and a patriotic American. His brilliance was obvious, as he blurted out almost all the answers on Jeopardy and could tell you anything you wanted to know about any of the American Presidents, including a list of all the dates they served, who they married, and all the details of their political life. Henry also excelled at solving puzzles, but he had to find ways to make the puzzles more difficult so they would be challenging for him. His claim to fame was that he could solve all the Jumbles in the newspaper in record time by unscrambling the words in his head without ever putting pen to paper. Special thanks to Henry’s three closest friends, Amy, Fred, and Kathy, whose support and friendship delighted him. Also, thanks to the staff at Creekside Senior Living for their devotion and kindness towards Henry. Now Henry is reunited with his loving parents in Paradise, where together they will spend their days rejoicing and basking in Christ’s Glorious Presence forever. Farewell, Gentle Giant and loving brother! “Even at the grave, we make our song Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!" Arrangements are by Wann Funeral & Cremation Center, at the foot of historic Lookout Mountain, St. Elmo. (423) 821-7551. Share your memories, stories, and photos at wannfuneralhome.com.