Craig Ross Morgan

Asheville – Craig Ross Morgan, beloved husband, father, friend, teacher, and artist, passed away peacefully on the evening of September 16th, 2024. Born on November 5th, 1952 in San Diego CA to Nancy Wilson and Donald Morgan, Craig is survived by his two sons, Justin Morgan and Jonathan Morgan, along with their families.

After a childhood playing in the waters of Southern Florida, Craig moved to NC to attend Pfeiffer University (graduated 1974) where he met many lifelong friends and the love of his life, Leslie Karen Gray. Together, Craig and Karen moved to Vermont and were married on August 16th, 1975. They continued their education with Teacher Corps receiving Masters’ in education from the University of Vermont (1976) where Craig began his long career as a teacher. In 1978, Craig and Karen moved back to NC, eventually settling into the beautiful mountains of Asheville, where they made their home.

Craig’s family was the love and joy of his life. He spent many happy weekends and summers hiking, traveling, and gardening with Karen and the boys. Craig was a committed DIY-er, who loved (most of the time) taking on big projects around the house to create a comfortable and beautiful home. He was also an exceptional artist– his large, detailed graphite portraits of family, friends, and colleagues are hanging in homes throughout the mountains of western NC.

For his entire career, Craig taught at Owen High School. There he shared his creativity, artistic talent, and love of projects as he taught mechanical drawing to generations of students. His classroom was full of huge balsa wood models, music (including the infamous Frank Zappa on Fridays), and plenty of laughter as he loved a good prank. Craig had the great ability to connect with his students and colleagues as he always sought to build a loving community in all areas of his life.

The final chapter of his life was gradually taken over by Lewy Body Dementia. Even as his mobility and cognition declined, Craig nevertheless always kept a good sense of humor, making jokes with friends and still finding ways to play with his grandchildren. The community of loving family and friends that stayed by his side throughout helped to infuse this final chapter with a great deal of beauty, grace, and joy.

Details about a celebration of life for Craig will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you give an unexpected and perhaps a bit too generous gift to a friend and give them a big hug. That’d be a very Craig thing to do.

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