~ IN MEMORY ~
NWA/DL Capt. Craig Christilaw
January 24, 1951 ~ August 16, 2026
Craig fell in love with flying at the age of five
when he took an airplane ride in an old Aeronca……….
Craig joined Northwest Airlines 10-13-1989 and
retired with Delta Air Lines based Detroit.
Craig is survived by his wife Colleen, and by his two children and their
families.
A Celebration of Craig’s Life reception will be
held on September 9, 2026 from 5:00-8:00 PM at Camp Blodgett Retreat Center in
West Olive, Michigan….please see obituary details below.
PCN memorial site
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/craig-christilaw-obituary?id=62266318
Obituary : On August 16, 2026 at age 75, Craig
Christilaw began his solo flight to his final resting place after a short
battle with glioblastoma. Born in Midland, Michigan in 1951, Craig was the
eldest of five children and grew up driving tractors on his family's farm. He
obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation from Western Michigan
University. Craig fell in love with flying at the age of five when he took an
airplane ride in an old Aeronca. This lifelong passion became a defining thread
throughout his entire life.
Craig’s flying career took him from the small single-engine
airplanes of his college years to some of the world’s great commercial
aircraft. As a Department of Aviation student at Western, he paid for airplane
rental by working as a lineman, refueling airplanes on the Kalamazoo airfield,
building time in Cessna 150s, 172s, 177s and 182s, Mooney M-10 Cadets, Piper
Cherokees and Grumman American AA-1B and -1Cs. After graduation and his
marriage to his loving wife of 50 years, Colleen, he became a “freight dog,”
hauling automotive parts in twin Cessna 310s, 402s and 411s. His career
flourished from there and with it came flying time in the Beech 99, Hawker
Siddeley 125, Gulfstream Turbo Commander, Boeing 727, Citation III, Lear 35A,
Navajo Chieftain, Cessna 421 Golden Eagle, IAI Westwind 2 and Challenger 600.
In 1989, Craig landed his dream job with Northwest Airlines, where he flew the
Boeing 727, DC-9, Airbus A320 and ultimately the A330. After Northwest merged
with Delta Airlines, the boy who had fallen in love with flying during a ride
in an old Aeronca, finished his professional career crossing oceans in the A330
for Delta, flying international routes before retiring in 2011.
During retirement, Craig owned two airplanes, bringing his
remarkable aviation journey almost full circle, back to the kind of small
airplanes that had first captured his imagination as a child. He returned to
flying purely for the joy of it, owning first a Grumman American AA-1A Yankee
and later a Cessna 177 Cardinal, both of which he adored. Desiring to give back
to the local aviation community, he served on the City of Grand Haven Airport
Board and in 2016, as a Grand Haven Aviation Association member, he spent his
entire summer nearly single-handedly re-painting the F-100 Super Sabre jet in
Thunderbird colors at the Grand Haven City Airport. He enjoyed being a member
of EAA Chapter 211 at the Grand Haven Airport and volunteered many hours to
help restore vintage aircraft with fellow airplane enthusiasts.
An involved father, Craig coached his son’s AYSO soccer
teams and Odyssey of the Mind team, cheered on his children at their sporting
and school events, and enthusiastically attended his daughter’s various
musical, theatre, and dance performances. Time with his family was always among
his greatest joys. They shared a lifelong closeness and spent time together as
much as possible. He was an Amateur Radio enthusiast, an interest that started
in high school and only ended when his brain cancer silenced him this summer.
He loved talking daily on the 80-meter band across the North American continent
and the 2-meter band locally. He had many steadfast radio friends across the
USA from 30 years of talking on the 4:30 to 5:30 am “Nut Factory” net. He was
also a member of North Ottawa Amateur Radio Club (NOARC) for years and enjoyed
contributing to public service activities and Field Days.
Craig loved adventure and was keen on rollerblading,
skydiving (22 jumps), jet ski adventures, motorcycle riding, backpack camping,
and long-distance car driving. He had a 60-year, love/hate yet faithful
relationship with Detroit Tigers baseball and Detroit Lions football with the
frequent refrain, “next year they are going to win it.” He perfected swimming
pool maintenance for his backyard pools and was known as the Cannonball King
for his expertise in that maneuver. Craig was a generous and kind person, meeting
everyone with a wide smile. His life was committed to hard work, integrity, and
consideration of others. He made many friends at the local Y in his years of
daily workouts and on his twice-daily dog walks into Lake Forest Cemetery. He
was known in jest as the “Mayor of Gladys Circle”. He was a treasure to his
family, and they were his greatest treasures. He will be missed forever by his
family and many, many friends.
Craig is survived by his true love, Colleen Rockey, and his
adored children; son, Matthew Christilaw, daughter Cathleen (Drew) Kenney and
his beloved golden retriever, Princess Violet, and granddog Lucy; also by his
siblings, Janine (Randy) Bingham, Ward (Lynne) Christilaw, and Teresa (Billie
Jo) Christilaw and brothers-in-law, Larry (Linda) Rockey, Bruce Rockey, James
(Maria) Rockey, and Daniel (Tifenn Boisard) Rockey, and his treasured nephews
and nieces and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert
Christilaw and Clare Chritz, his brother, Scott Christilaw, his parents-in-law,
Gordon and Alyce Rockey, brother-in-law William Rockey and his cherished
Labrador Retrievers, Emma and Luke and granddog, Stella.
A Celebration of Craig’s Life reception will be held on Wednesday
September 9, 2026, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Camp Blodgett Retreat Center, 10451
Lakeshore Ave, West Olive. We welcome family, friends, and his many
acquaintances to join us.
