With great sadness, I announce the departure of Craig Blower.
He passed away peacefully this morning and was very comfortable in his last days.
Thank you for all of your support and kind words. Please raise a glass to Craig tonight to celebrate his inspiring life and to wish him well on his journey.
We will be in touch (via blog and others) regarding future celebrations.
Until then, we will be handling business as usual… one day at a time.
-Bradyn (Blower) Miller
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EmBen used to kick butt on the volleyball court, now she's kicking cancer!!
Get Fuzzy! 
I am sad at Craig’s passing but inspired by his fighting spirit and fantastic humor – to live with humor and passion while the body betrays us, is a gift that not all have – he is and will always be an inspiration! My thoughts and prayers to Craig’s family, I’m sure he will be remembered always and forever missed. – Janine
Margaret & I are deeply saddened at the news. Love to all our little cousins.
Love to your family, Bradyn. I will miss my friend.
So sorry for your loss. Makes me very sad. Prayers are with your whole family. So much to be proud of. Martha in Iowa
God bless Craig’s family and friends, He meant so much to everyone, even those of us who never met him in person. We “met” him through his blog and we are better people because of him.
I know there is deep sadness for his family and friends who loved, admired, and respected him so much. My condolences to all of Craig’s family. Our MOOR family has lost one of our best and brightest.
Aloha Craig….till we meet again.
Pat and I send our love and prayers. We have been so inspired by your dads journey. We are sorry for your loss and the loss to many of those he has encouraged and shown how to live by making a difference. Love to you all. Pat and Doris Thompson
Godspeed to Craig and heartfelt sympathies to his loved ones. To me, Craig will always be proof of the power of the written word when combined with humor and hope. I found his blog when my mother was handed the same diagnosis, and the possibilities and hope I found here helped guide me through very dark days. Thank you, Craig and family for sharing your story with so many walking down a similar path. Peace and sympathy.
People can be hard to understand in a certain environment, but so easily understood when you see the big picture. Craig gave of himself, and many loved and respected him. I can only wish for such an honor.
I’m so sorry! Hugs and wishes of comfort to you all.
Our hearts are heavy with the words that were written today. Craig lived life to the fullest daily which is more than many of us can say. Even during his darkest moments, the words from his blog still echoed hope and his sense of humor reminded us to not take life so seriously. He was such an intricate part of the science center and you couldn’t ask for a more hands on leader than Craig. He would stand next to us during our busiest days, talking to anyone who came through our doors at the museum. He was a savvy business man and had such a big heart for the children. His shoes could never be filled in the way only he could fill them. He will be missed so much and our prayers are with you all during this time.
Much love, The O’Brien Family
So sorry to hear this news…Craig was truly one of a kind. He spoke about his cancer and treatments at my work about a year ago, as it happened just weeks before my mother was diagnosed with the same exact cancer. The timing of his speech had to be fate, it helped guide me through a scary and difficult diagnosis for our family. Craig gave me hope and inspiration against this terrible disease. He was so helpful and emailed me to help look into clincal trials for my mom. I hope they are both up there having a ball…cancer free! My thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
Sharon
My Gnarly friend
I love you
Stew
An amazing man family husband friend has left us way too early
We feel lucky to have known Craig.
Diane and Berke
To Craig’s family: Today we lost a titan in the San Diego community. Craig inspired so many of us to live a life of “service above self.” Tomorrow, San Diego Rotary takes another group of 80+ students to Camp Enterprise, which is where I first worked with Craig four years ago. His leadership was extraordinary. His spirit will endure. Others knew him far better than I, but I am a better person for having known him. Thank you, Craig. Kim, I am here for you.
My sincere sympathy to you and your family. Your dad caught my eye the summer of ’73 when he was the spitting image of Mark Spitz–always handsome, always ready for fun. When we reconnected a few years ago through Facebook, I was glad to see that he was so happy in his marriage, proud of his children, content in his work, and enthusiastic about his volunteer time at the children’s hospital. I know this is a terrible loss for all of you, and he will leave a great space in your lives. May God comfort you in the weeks and months ahead.
It is hard to put in words how very sorry I am for your loss. He was loved and respected by many and I will miss him in so many ways. The Fleet will not be the same without him. Raising a glass tonight with his favorite wine to a wonderful coworker and friend, who challenged and supported me.
My sincere condolences to the Blower family, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center family, and all those who loved Craig. I worked for Craig for 15 years at the Fleet and could always count on his support and advice throughout those years. Craig often mentioned how lucky he felt to go to work there every day, his love of the sound of children having fun, and his belief in the Fleet’s mission of science education (including his sharing many fun science demonstrations with his regular Friday morning elementary school visits). Such a heartbreaking day…I am glad he had such wonderful support from family and friends through this ordeal and thankful that Craig truly knew how much he was loved and appreciated by so many.
Brayden, thank you for being the messenger of your father’s Spirit. Although my heart was heavy when I first heard the news, your words of Love and Aloha have eased the pain of losing this remarkable man we all love.
Loreen Zuccaro( AHS’70)
So very sorry for your loss. I know my beautiful Maria met him in paradise with a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. He will always be with you. This dastardly disease must be ended. Craig help so many through his eloquence and humor.
My sincere condolences to you and your family. Craig and Ron might possibly now meet in a place where good people go, free of pain, free of suffering and free of that horrible word cancer.
Sandra
Seeing Craig go through this has truly been an inspiration. He came to work every day with a smile on his face and never, ever showed any evidence of self pity. He never asked why, he just persevered. Each day was business as usual. He handled this most devastating disease with such strength, humor and grace. The trials he went through will help so many who will, unfortunately, follow after him. To Craig’s family – I am so sorry for your loss. He has touched so many lives in such a positive way. What a wonderful legacy he has forged! I will miss him most at Halloween time. He was always such a good sport, no matter what we threw at him.
With deepest sympathy… Tamra
Farewell King Leonidas! You held off the 300 for a good long time and as a true warrior you left a battle plan for the rest of us to be inspired by and to follow. On your shield you depart with fanfare, respect, and sorrow. Bravo and Godspeed.
So sorry to hear that Craig passed! What a life well lived! A great
Father, Husband, friend and pillar of the community. Thank you for
being a role model as to how to live our lives!
Steve
Your Gnarley teammate
I am very sad to hear about Craig’s passing. I spent some quality time with him at last year’s Washington DC Lungevety Summit. Craig was a quality person. He will be missed!
James Brown
My condolences to Craig’s family. What sad news! I worked with Craig when I was the Volunteer Coordinator at the Fleet and was always so inspired by his commitment to his volunteer work at Rady. It tickled me that you could not schedule a meeting on Wednesday afternoon because he wasn’t going to risk losing his coveted spot in the activity room. I still picture him in his blue and white Rady shirt ready to run out the door and be with his kids.
It’s been many years since we worked together and I now run a huge volunteer program at another non profit. You know, I still use Craig as an example for my Volunteer Coordination staff of the type of person we should aspire to recruit and nurture. A volunteer program full of Craig Blowers! Dare to dream!
I will remember Craig given my brief time at The Fleet as an incredibly decent man. After my departure, and while taking care of my own father full-time, I learned of his condition and was incredibly inspired by how positive he was in approaching his situation. Much love to his family.
A great man who helped us tremendously in the office supply industry. My life was blessed to have an opportunity to work with him.
My Christmas seasons were always uplifted by the Craig Blower newsletters too. Our prayers are with you.
My deepest sympathy to the family. What an inspiration Craig has been to so many people. I am so grateful that he chose to share his journey with those who knew him personally, and those of us who had the honor of meeting his online presence. May Craig Blower rest in peace. He was a blessing and may his memory remain blessed.
The world has lost the epitome of a true peacemaker through his ever-so generous acts as a husband, a father, a friend and the multiple-cause volunteer. He was truly an example for all men to follow and aspire to be. Not only has the Blower family lost their loving patriarch in Craig, the SD Rotary Club, Children’s Hospital, visitors to Rueben H. Fleet, and the Scripps Ranch Community at large, his softball team and his personal friends have also lost a dear man. I was lucky and blessed to have known him. May we not only be inspired to be as generous to those in need of service as our friend Craig Blower – but may we also act and SERVE.
Ed Suhay
I found this blog the day Chris died. I have stage IV non-small-cell adenocarcinoma and I am always looking for new friends who REALLY knows what this is like. I will be reading his posts.
My sympathies to all who knew him and loved him.
I am so glad I ran across this while searching for a clinical trial for my husband of 34 years who has small cell lung cancer. We was diagnosed in 2012 and so far have beaten the odds and close to the end of our journey with current meds. There are so many similarities in our lives.
Craig was an inspiration to all that knew him and is a inspiration to me after reading his blogs and his upbeat attitude. God bless your family and Thank you for sharing 😉