Craig Eder, 47

Craig Eder of Watkins died Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, after a courageous battle with metastatic stage IV colon cancer. Craig elected to be cremated. He was 47.
A celebration of Craig’s life will take place from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, at the St Anthony’s Church parish center in Watkins. Everyone is invited to come share a meal, laughter, and favorite Craig Eder stories.
Craig Steven Eder was born Oct. 2, 1974, to Frank and Sharon Eder, the third of four sons. He was a 1993 graduate of Eden Valley-Watkins Secondary school. He played football his entire high school career, and played on a softball team for many years prior to meeting his wife. He attended trucking school in Wisconsin, and began his life-long career as a truck driver at the age of 21. He drove more than a million miles accident-free, and he was proud of his driving record. Craig loved his job and worked long, hard hours to provide for his family. He worked for Astech in St. Joseph for 17 years.
Craig married the love of his life, Stephanie, on a lovely September day. On their wedding day, he became an instant father to Magdalena; he was so very proud to call her his own. Together they had two more children, Deuce and Grace. They also shared two four-legged “children,” Doberman pinschers Baron and Willie Doodle. Craig was an avid deer hunter. He made a yearly trip to Montana with his dad and brother Tim to hunt for mule deer. He also loved golfing, softball, and summer and winter fishing. This past winter, Craig convinced his wife and kids to give ice fishing a try, and they were hooked! The family spent quite a few Sundays out on the ice with friends. Craig went to Red Lake for the first time on an ice fishing trip with his buddies in January 2021; they had a great time, and he eagerly looked forward to going again.
Craig and Stephanie made their home in Craig’s hometown of Watkins where they resided 11 years together. They were close to both sets of parents, which their children loved. They lived in a wonderful neighborhood where they had lots of close friends who were like family. Many evenings were spent hanging out with the neighbors, watching the kids playing together, barbecuing, or sitting by a bonfire.
Craig and Stephanie loved to travel. Stephanie often drove to meet Craig while he was out on the road working. They began vacationing in Mexico, starting with their honeymoon trip to Puerto Vallarta in 2008. Over the years, they vacationed in Riviera Maya, Cozumel, and several times in Cancun. Craig also enjoyed planning their anniversary weekend getaway; together they explored many different places and had a lot of fun. They also spent lots of time in Duluth and in Brainerd with their kids.
In August 2017, Craig was diagnosed with stage 3C colon cancer. Following six months of chemotherapy, Craig was pronounced cancer-free in March 2018. One of the things on Craig’s bucket list was to attend the NASCAR race in Bristol. His lovely wife surprised him with the trip to Tennessee in April 2018 after he was declared cancer-free. They barely made it out of Minnesota before a record snowstorm blew into town. Together they explored Knoxville, Nashville, and Bristol for four fun-filled days.
In March 2021, Craig and Stephanie took their last trip to Mexico together. Shortly after their return, Craig began complaining of back pain and began to lose his appetite. On May 12, 2021, Craig and Stephanie received the devastating news: his cancer was back, and it was now stage 4. Craig bravely endured maintenance chemotherapy every-other week for three months. He spent many hours in the ER with his wife, trying to get his pain and nausea under control. In August Craig decided he no longer wanted to do chemotherapy. “Quality versus quantity,” he said. He was a positive man who fought valiantly. He was our brave hero.
Craig is survived by his wife of 14 years, Stephanie, and their children Magdalena, Deuce and Grace; parents Frank and Sharon Eder; brothers Tim (and Karen) Eder, Brad (and Robin) Eder, and Patrick (and Jen) Eder; in-laws Virgil and Penny Lovejoy; sisters-in-law Stacy (and Jake) Evans, and Sara Lovejoy-Krippner; brother-in-law Joseph Krippner; eight nieces and four nephews. He also leaves behind great friends who were a second family to him.
The family thanks all of Craig’s hospice nurses. “We are so grateful for you all.”