Obituary of Beth J Craig

The family will visit with friends from 5:00 - 6:00pm at the funeral home on Wednesday January 18, 2017. It was Beth's wish to have her cremated remains scattered privately at the ranch she loved so much surrounded by her loving family. Beth Craig (Moxon) was born in Pittsburgh, PA on March 29th, 1951 to Thomas and Elizabeth Moxon and passed away on January 13, 2017. Beth grew up in the Penn Hills suburb region of Pittsburgh and attended the Penn Hills Schools. She ventured to Elkins, West Virginia after high school and attended Elkins & Davis College for two years pursuing her love of music. She felt something was missing in her life -mainly open spaces and horses- so she headed west to the Wyoming and Montana region. She landed on a ranch near Baker Montana for the summer doing general ranch work. The owner of the ranch took her to the Miles City bucking horse sale and bought her a bucking horse for her to work with for the summer. She thought that was a great adventure and job. She then worked on the Campbell Farming Corporation farming division near Hardin as a cook for their crews. Still wanting to move around more she ended up in Helena, Montana where she worked as a governess for a family with eleven kids. She really enjoyed that job as the family was wonderful and they always backed her when situations developed with the kids. Despite her love for the family, she was still looking for more of a job with horses. She ended up on a dude ranch near Cody, Wyoming. She worked with horses and also did a lot of cooking. Beth got to help pack the hunters into the mountains west of Cody, many times spending five to ten days at a time and encountering heavy snow storms and bears coming into their camp. Leaving there she headed to Matheson, Colorado and the Art Dickens Horse Ranch. She was finally working with just horses. However that job did not last as Mr. Dickens took her to the quarter horse sale at the National Western Stock Show. She sat behind a fellow at the sale who was smoking a cigar and informed him that he “could put it out or suffer the consequences”. He put it out and proceeded to buy several high dollar mares. After the sale he handed Beth a check for moving expenses to go work in Florida at his ranch. Beth went to Florida to work with the horses and train Mastiff dogs for showing. Leaving Florida, she went to the Carolinas to work with Thoroughbred race horses. She was quickly requested back to Florida because one of the dogs she was working with had stopped eating. After she resolved the problem, she returned to the Carolinas. However, she soon discovered her heart was in the open spaces of the west and headed to the Limon area. Beth went to work for Willard and Jean Nordick at their horse facility and filled in at their restaurant when needed. It was here she met John Craig III and they got engaged and were married on December 30th, 1976. She immediately became an integral part of helping John with all of the ranch operations. Four children were born in their marriage: Molly, Bill, Jake and Maggie. Beth stayed busy with the children’s activities and several of her own interests. These included: hosting a small group bible study once a week for twelve years in her home, being a Sunday school teacher, playing piano, serving at VBS/Pioneer Club, preparing church dinners, participating in church and community choirs, chaperoning youth mission trips, swimming, lifeguard and water safety instructor in Limon, Flagler and Deer Trail, and teaching first aid classes. She was also 4-H leader in horse, rabbit, leathercraft, photography, cake decorating and baking. Beth was a volleyball referee in eastern Colorado, and a substitute teacher in Limon and Agate. Beth co-directed several musicals in Limon as well as, using her bass in several programs and playing in the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Symphony for eight years. Beth took time to host many class and team dinners at her home as well as sewing costumes for various school events. After the children all graduated from high school Beth decided to open the Craig Ranch Bed & Breakfast & Horse Motel. Beth had people from forty-nine states and eleven countries stay with her. Many of her customers became longtime friends of Beth and John and have stayed in touch right up to the day she passed. After twelve years she closed the bed and breakfast and became a full time grandma. This was her most cherished and valued time of her life. Beth is survived by her husband John, her children, Molly of Denver, Bill (Natalie), grandsons Johnny and Jasper, Jacob (fiancée Aideen) of Wilmington, Delaware, Maggie Hackbarth (John) granddaughter Gabrielle, mother Elizabeth Moxon of Pittsburgh, sister Susan Chort of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her father, Thomas Moxon, and brother, Dale Moxon, preceded her in death.