Craig F. Avery.  Craig passed away  in Texas on Nov. 3, 2010, after a courageous battle against cancer. Craig was a native of Battle Creek.  He graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo in 1974 with a BS degree in marketing. Craig began a 40-year career in material handling with Clark Equipment Co. in Michigan, which culminated into chief operating officer at a material handling company in Memphis, Tenn. He was an integral part in advancing the Memphis company; under his direction, the company grew from one Memphis location to 15 locations in the South and Southwest. Craig implemented a mentoring program for the Memphis ISD that allowed his employees to assist and teach underprivileged children life skills. He was an avid boater and loved to fish. He was a wonderful man who touched many lives and made many friends. Survivors included his wife, Linda McAllister Avery; son, Scott Avery and wife, Kristin; daughter, Heather Rodriguez and husband, Joseph; stepson, Randy McAllister; stepdaughters, Lisa Wood and husband, Michael, and Kelly Lyon and husband, Tim; and grandchildren, Crew, Kellan and Jules Avery, Emme Rodriguez, Sara, Austin and Allison Strube, Jordan Thomas Jackson and husband, Jon, and Bailie McAllister.

Information from Battle Creek Enquirer online on November 7, 2010