Obituary of John Michael Craddock

John Michael Craddock, a leader in the Texas trucking industry, died on April 23, 2017.Memorials: Should friends desire, in lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to: TXTA Foundation, 700 East 11th Street, Austin, TX 78701 (www.texastrucking.com) to provide scholarships for students affiliated with the trucking industry; Tarrant Area Food Bank, 2525 Cullen St., Fort Worth, TX 76107 (www.tafb.org/donate); The Humane Society of North Texas, 1840 E Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76103 (www.hsnt.org/donate); or a favorite charity.Born on October 3, 1941 in Fort Worth, “Mike” Craddock was the son of John Bailey Craddock, Jr. and Catherine Carnrike Craddock. He was a fourth generation Fort Worthian and the grandson of Fort Worth Mayor Roscoe L. Carnrike. He passed away quietly among his loving family.Mike attended Paschal High School and then Texas Tech University, graduating in 1964 with a business degree in traffic management. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and passionately followed the sports programs of his alma mater. His sons, Frank and John, continued his tradition and went to Tech.In 1966, he married Margareth “Marty” Craddock. The couple recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their family on Kiawah Island, S.C.After college, he returned to Fort Worth to join his father at Craddock Moving and Storage, an affiliate of Allied Van Lines. The trucking industry was one of Mike’s passions. He started at the age of 13 cleaning out his father’s warehouses and finished his life as President of the business his father founded. During his career, he was also two-time Chairman of the Texas Motor Trucking Association (TMTA). He also served as Chairman of Southwest Movers Association (SMA). In his service to both organizations, he received many honors including Leader of the Year in TMTA and the Heritage Award Recipient for SMA. During the 1980s, he served on the Board of Directors of Allied Van Lines, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He received the Allied International Sales Person of the Year award in 1987.In 1978, he was a founding member of TMTA (now TXTA) Foundation, which has raised substantial funding to promote future leadership development in the trucking industry. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships.In 1987, the Fort Worth Chapter of the Texas Association of Business nominated Craddock Moving and Storage as its candidate for Texas Business of the Year. His company was one of the five finalists for that honor.He had a deep affinity for politics, and that translated into his effective advocacy for the industry. Throughout the many years of service in SMA and TMTA, Mike effectively fulfilled roles of a chairman and member for the government affairs committee of both organizations, advocating in front of the Texas Legislature and the United States Congress to enhance and/or protect the transportation industry.He loved his family and friends dearly. He started taking his sons to Spring Training in the late 1980s and began a tradition that blossomed over the course of nearly 30 years to include many friends and a grandson. Texas Ranger games were never missed, with broadcasts often listened to on his front porch swing, but he also loved attending games with friends and family. He enjoyed playing golf and hosted a yearly tournament with his close friends at Horseshoe Bay, TX. He also had the good fortune of playing the legendary Augusta National Golf Course. He enjoyed traveling with his wife – often visiting Pebble Beach, where they went on their honeymoon over 50 years ago.At home, he enjoyed the company of his loyal dogs, reading voraciously and doing the daily crossword puzzle.His family is deeply grateful to the doctors and nursing staff at Harris Hospital.Survivors: Wife, Margareth “Marty” Craddock; son, John Patrick Craddock; sister, Catherine “Cathie” Jackson and her husband, Len Jackson all of Fort Worth; son, Frank Carnrike Craddock and his wife, Elizabeth “Liz” Leoty Craddock; grandsons, Jackson Thomas Craddock and William Patrick Craddock, all of Washington, D.C.; brother-in-law, George A. Meihaus, III and his wife Carolyn Meihaus of Austin; nephew: George Andrew Meihaus and his wife, Robin Kriza Meihaus, of Charleston, S.C.; and nieces and nephews.