The bicyclist killed on Sunday in a crash with a minivan in Sandy was a well-known Utah competitive road racer, neighbor and friend.
Craig, was riding southbound on 700 East at 8:11 p.m. Sunday when the minivan made a left turn in front of him at 8275 South, according to Sandy police Sgt. Jon Arnold. His wife Tina and I were in the primary presidency together when Morgen was little. When I talked to her on Tuesday morning, she said that the officer told her he died at the scene of the accident from massive head and face injuries. She said that he had been helping the missionaries change their tires and had decided to hop on his bike and go for a short ride before it got dark.
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| {Craig's son Teal (on left) and Craig (right of Ben) riding the same red and white Specialized bike that he died riding this weekend.} |
For the last several years, Craig has enjoyed cycling with his youngest son Teal, logging miles together and supporting him through each of his races, loving every minute of this sport. He tried to make time each day for riding because the benefits were so great for his overall health. Cycling enabled him to accomplish many of the goals he had set for himself. He truly loved being in the saddle. About seven years ago he would often ride with Teal, Ben, me, and Dr. Barton. On one of his first times out on his bike, he and Jeff Barton collided and Craig spent a few days in the hospital with a collapsed lung. He was influential in getting Dr. Barton's daughter, Brynn, in to riding and she had just started riding when she was hit and killed by a car in June of 2011. This photo was taken at the benefit ride held in her honor at Liberty Park.
Craig was a great "people person," it was such a natural gift of his – he was so compassionate and caring. He truly wanted to lift others' burdens and help carry them to make life a bit easier for everyone he knew. He was generous, selfless, accommodating, and genuine. Someone once said "He is a true Renaissance Man" – he knew so much about everything and was talented enough to do anything. I spent a few days at our Stake Youth Conference with him as a leader of the Book of Mormon themed production, dressed in Lamanite wear. I can't believe he is gone. He will be missed by everyone who knew him. While Tina and I were crying through my box of kleenex in her driveway after she had run outside in her pajamas to take out the trash (she had heard the garbage truck from the couch that she had fallen asleep on) she told me that she had never taken the trash out a day in her life, Craig had always done it. As I stood there in my night gown, with her holding a handful of weeds and the morning paper, she couldn't stop shaking as she told me through tears that Craig's patriarchal blessing had said he would serve missions. I couldn't help but think that he has served so many people in so many ways.
Loving, handsome husband, devoted dad, and precious Pop-C, Craig Kerry Buchi passed away Sunday evening, September 22, 2013 at the young age of 58 from injuries sustained in a cycling accident.
Craig was born August 25, 1955 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Marjorie Wignall Buchi and Keith Walter Buchi, the third of four children. He grew up with a wonderful childhood friends, enjoying all athletic pursuits, graduating from Granite High School in 1973. Craig earned a full-ride football scholarship to the University of Utah where he was the punter and place kicker, and graduated with a degree in Psychology.
It was in Sociology 101 on the first day of school that Craig asked his good friend to introduce him to the girl sitting in front of him. This started their year-and-a-half long courtship and he married Tina Lee Waldram on February 20, 1976 in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity. They are the parents to four of the most wonderful children ever. Craig absolutely devoted his life to his wife and children, providing for their every need and giving to them every ounce of his time. His family was the true joy of his life and his number one priority. Nothing gave him more satisfaction than spoiling and serving them. More than anything else, Craig's greatest source of happiness and pride were his kids and grand kids. He couldn't help but brag and his face would light up when he would talk about them.
Craig is so loved and will be missed by his adoring wife and eternal companion Tina and their very grateful children, Jett (Robyn) and their three children, Riley (9), Shelby (7), and Traden (4); Hailey Buchi Slaugh (Steven) and their three children, Hudson (7), Oliver (6), and Penelope (2); Chelsea Buchi Thackeray (John) and their two children, Gretel (4) and Atticus (17 months); Teal Buchi and fiancé Carly. Hailey and her husband Steve babysat Morgen and Max for me while Ben and I went to Europe for 15 days in 2002. Hailey was Morgen's primary teacher and loved him so much she would always come by to bring him surprises. She was not able to have children for a long time and I think Morgen was like her little son before she adopted Hudson. And then a month later miraculously got pregnant with Oliver. Teal and Morgen were friends from church as well and Hailey used to cut my hair and was the first one to cut Max's curls off, before she had her babies to take care of. Chelsea did my nails a few times before she moved to California. They are the most loving and kind family and I know it was because of Craig's example. They are all devastated. My heart aches for them, I know how much he meant to them. He was everything. I could tell from the countless times that they had my family over for dinner, whether he was in the kitchen preparing the broccoli cheese sauce or at the barbeque with his apron making a perfect pork tenderloin, his family counted on him for every aspect of their life. He was their super griller and chef and loved waiting on them hand and foot. He was always busy with projects and happily working and serving everyone.
He enjoyed family time together at their Bear Lake cabin - boating, riding motorcycles, golfing, and sitting around the campfire. His home in Midway was another haven he thoroughly enjoyed. He loved to ride the scooters with the grand kids, take them swimming and sledding, watch fireworks on the patio while eating s'mores, and taking the T-Bird for a spin.
Craig was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, serving valiantly in many callings throughout his life – one of his favorites was being in the nursery with the "kiddies." That is where he served eleven years ago, when Max was lucky enough to be in his nursery. He also loved scouting with his boys. Every Halloween he would set up a huge spread in his garage and make homemade root beer and scones for the neighbors to stop by on their way to trick or treat. It was one of Max's favorite things to do.
Craig has been very successful in owning and operating Craig's Service Center across from East High, the business he bought from his dad in 1983, serving generations of loyal neighborhood families. He fixed my Land Rover I don't know how many times. Tina told me that his great customers had been stopping by the store all Monday to ask if it was "This Craig", and when she called Craig's dedicated employees that morning to tell them, one of them had been wondering why the doors weren't open at 7:30 a.m. like they always had been for the past thirty years. And another one was driving when she called him and he said he couldn't breathe and needed to pull over.
Craig is preceded in death by his parents and by Tina's parents, whom he helped lovingly care for every single day, by his sister Jodi, brother Brad, maternal and paternal grandparents, and niece Whitney.
Tina also told me about all the people who stopped at the scene of the accident who offered kindness compassion, caring, and help, that they put a blanket over him until the ambulance arrived. The Sandy City and Bountiful Police Departments for their diligence in contacting Tina as she was in California for Chelsea's birthday and no one was at the house when the officers arrived. The officers tracked down his brother who lived in Bountiful through the obituaries of his niece who recently passed away. They sent an officer to his house and his wife Denise called Tina at 12:30 a.m she said when she saw the number that she knew something was wrong as she had been trying to get a hold of Craig all night. She said that her sister-in-law could not talk as she was hysterical so she handed the phone to the officer. When Tina heard him say that Craig was dead, she dropped to her knees. She called for Chelsea and Hailey and they knelt together in prayer. They instantly felt at peace and they knew that Craig was with them. She said the veil was so thin. As she was telling me that she felt him with her still, like he is "right there" and was going to miss him so when he has to leave, the sun came out form behind a cloud and I felt a warmth like he was right there standing behind us. She also told me that the last time she saw him was on saturday before he gave her a ride to the airport. He had stopped by her work to have lunch with her and she had told him about a cyclist from San Mateo, that had been hit by a car and killed on a rural road in California. She thought it was so ironic that was the last conversation they had in this life.
Also, while I was talking with her in her driveway three ward members, neighbors, and dear friends came by to offer food for breakfast, the scouts had tied blue and yellow ribbons to all the trees lining their street and even the UPS driver who was delivering a package stopped to offer his love and support.
I will miss Craig – he was truly "one of a kind."
