David Steven Kraft

David S. Kraft passed away January 9, 2025, at the age of 77. No one knew him as David, everyone knew him as Steve. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Dianne; his two children Laura (wife of Jim) and Michael (husband of Meghan); his brother Gary; nieces Karen, Connie, Kelly, and Erin; great nieces and nephews Johnny, Lauren, Cameron, and Thomas; and the three people he loved most in the world, his granddaughters Korin (17), Kayla (15), and Ryanne (14). Steve grew up in Pontiac, Michigan as the youngest of Pius and Anne’s five children (Leroy, Elaine, Marilyn, Gary). He attended St. Michael’s Catholic School where he was an excellent student and athlete. He went on to attend Western Michigan University where he earned a teaching degree as an English major and met the love of his life, Dianne. He served in the army during the Vietnam years and then was employed by the Veteran’s Administration until he retired. Steve loved his family. Every decision he made was for them. He was his children’s favorite coach (and a favorite coach to many other young athletes in his community) and his grandchildren’s biggest cheerleader. Aside from family, his passions in life included tools and casinos. He was always building or fixing something, usually for someone else. He lent his amazing self-taught talents of building and fixing to everyone who asked without ever expecting a favor in return. He loved his basement where he could be surrounded by all his tools (insert Tim the Tool Man Taylor grunt here) and he loved the countless hours he spent wandering the home improvement stores. Steve never played cards or rolled dice, but he loved the sights and sounds of the slot machines! He could spend hours at the casino- win or lose. Some of his best memories include trips to Vegas with his wife and family and friends. In the last weeks of Steve’s life, he spent the holidays with two of his granddaughters, fixed a broken toilet, and visited the MGM casino one last time. To him, just those simple things would have made life worth living. Many of the last years of Steve’s life were spent in terrible, physical pain. If you knew him, you know that he is now living in that special place in heaven, completely pain free, where only the best of the best husbands, dads, and grandpas get to go. But you also know Steve’s heaven is not a perfect paradise, but instead it is the world’s largest basement where everything keeps breaking and Steve is happy to step in and build and fix away. He is surrounded by tools and slot machines and there is a giant television that not only shows Tigers’ baseball, but also the adventures of Korin, Kayla, and Ryanne. And when the day is done, he can kick back with a Coke, a few Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and a Pall Mall to watch the antics of his beloved granddaughters and forever know how much they loved him and how important he was in shaping their lives. Share memories with the family at their "On-Line Guest Book" @ WujekCalcaterra.com

David Steven Kraft

December 31, 1947 - January 9, 2025