Craig William Bartoshuk Dies At 68

FORT DENAUD, FL — Craig William Bartoshuk, resident of Fort Denaud, Florida, died peacefully in his sleep on January 18, 2022.

Born on April 12, 1953, in Dearborn, Michigan, Craig was an adventurer with many accomplishments. Growing up in his father’s footsteps, Craig learned to play the accordion, joined the order of the Masonic DeMolay, and became an Eagle Scout. Complimenting his achievements, Craig was a free spirit and dreamed of circumnavigating the world by boat. 

In his early 20’s, he headed west to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he worked as a scaffold salesman by day and built a 38-foot Yorktown sailboat by night. His hard work, self-reliance and visionary approach were evident as Craig spent the next five years constructing the boat in drydock at “Pete’s Harbor” in Redwood City, California. 

Ultimately, he sailed the boat, named “Tangerine,” through the Panama Canal and onto Miami, Florida, where he took a break from living on the sea.

After a couple of years, Craig engaged his sea-going spirit once again. He moved to St. Thomas, in the British Virgin Islands, where he ran a company that provided tourist sailing experiences for “Islands In The Sun Cruises.” It was there that he earned his United States Coast Guard Captain’s License.

Around this time, his parents, Pete and Florence, moved to LaBelle, Florida and Craig decided to join them. It was there that he met his future wife Mary, and the two of them tied the knot in 2000. 

Together they lived in nearby Fort Denaud, where they enjoyed their pets and volunteered for many good causes, including but not limited to the Caloosa Humane Society and the American Legion. 

Mary introduced Craig to raising butterflies, and the two of them designed and built quite a butterfly garde on their property. Craig also began a lawn-care company that he maintained until his failing health would not allow it.

Craig William Bartoshuk is survived and greatly missed by his wife, Mary; and two brothers, Paul, who lives in Michigan, and David, who lives in California, and their respective families.

In honor of Craig’s lifelong spirit and community service, the family asks that each of us take time to do something good for someone else, as Craig did throughout his life.