Craig R. Lossing

A Celebration of Life will be held 

March 1st, 2025
1pm - 5pm

Lindstrom Community Center
13292 Sylvan Ave
 Lindstrom, MN 55045

To all Craig’s family and friends - thank you for being a part of his experience in this life. Losing him in bits and pieces to Alzheimer’s over the last 5 years was difficult, but the parts that were there at the end were still the bright joyful spirit we loved.

It is impossible to condense a man into a manageable collection of words, yet here is where an attempt will be made. Most obviously, Craig was an artist to the core. Wood turning, painting, and drawing filled his life with color and vision. He never stopped creating, bringing ideas from his mind into reality for everyone else to admire. His work won awards, was placed in museums, and collected by many around the country - yet what truly moved him, more than accolades, was seeing a person’s eyes light up when seeing a piece, and saying “Oh, I love that one.” From then, it didn’t matter if they couldn’t afford the listed price, he would cut them a deal, insisting what was most important was that a piece went to a home where it was loved. To him, the purpose of art was always for it to be shared.

Water, trees, flowers, and animals delighted and inspired him. If there was a hill to climb, he would walk towards it without hesitation, excited for the potential view. Having grown up on a lake, water and the surrounding environs always brought him joy, provoking tales of catching turtles with his brothers every time we gazed over lakes at local parks. Craig could identify nearly every tree at a glance, and whistled back and forth with the birds in the backyard. He cherished the lilacs, forget-me-nots, and bleeding hearts he cultivated in the yard, and snacked on the peas and rhubarb he grew.

Of his personality, the quality most apparent to all was his overflowing joy. Cracking jokes, making faces, and spontaneous bursts of song were ways of expressing his desire to spread love and happiness to everyone. Craig would frequently step in to help others without a second thought, always ready to stop what he was doing and say “Need a hand?” with a smile. His selflessness could lead to trouble for himself, but it never stopped him from reaching out the next time. His attitude was often that life may be rough in this moment, but surely it will get better if we keep trying and moving forward. 

One of his most amazing skills was how he earned many friends around the country, and remembered every single one over the years, even when he hadn’t seen them for over a decade. A person could enter his booth, and after only a moment his smile would widen and he’d exclaim how happy he was to see them again, didn’t they buy that specific piece six years ago? How were they liking it? Even if Craig only saw a fellow artist once a year at a single show, he would greet and joke with them as if they’d been spending every weekend together for decades. To all of you, those who knew him briefly or for most of his life, you undoubtedly held a special place in his heart. You grew his love, and his greatest legacy shall be more than just his art, but the lives you continue to live with his memory within you. 

Craig is survived biologically by his children - Austin Lossing, Sarina Keran, and Arianna Santamaria, as well as his grandson Leo Keran. And spiritually, he is survived in those who knew him, laughed with him, and admired his art.

Thank you for being part of the life of Craig Lossing.