Craig W. Ham, 79, passed away on September 24, 2026, at Birdee Cottage Assisted Living and Memory Care in Waterloo, IA. He was born on September 9, 1947, in Waterloo to William C. and Peggy (Kittrell) Ham.

He graduated from West Waterloo High School in 1966 and was drafted into the U.S. Army that September. Craig served in Vietnam with the 7th Battalion, 8th Field Artillery (Automatic Eighth), from June 1967 to July 1968.

Craig married Paddy Jones on November 29, 1969, at Christ Episcopal Church in Waterloo.

He worked at Chamberlain Manufacturing and John Deere before retiring from Black Hawk Engineering after 29 years. For a time, he also enjoyed doing taxidermy work.

Craig was an avid fisherman who enjoyed family fishing trips to MN and spending time at the family cabin on the Wapsi. He also enjoyed visiting casinos and expressing his creativity and artistic talent through painting. He was proud of his grandsons and attended as many of their school and sporting events as possible.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 57 years, Paddy; his son, Chad (Kris) Ham of Hudson, IA; his daughter, Andrea (Larry) Garrison of Stewartville, MN; two grandsons, Connor Ham and Caleb Ham; his sister, Sue (Tom) Martin of Waterloo; his sisters-in-law, Becky Adams (Chuck) of Waterloo and Elaine Jones and family of Indiana; his niece, Whitney (Taylor) Gentry; his nephews, Brady Martin, Tony (Cyndi) Young and family, and Matt Young; and his great-nephew, August Gentry.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his grandparents, and his brother-in-law, Steve Jones.

Visitation will be held Thursday, October 1, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Locke at Tower Park Funeral Home. A family graveside service will be held at Garden of Memories.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Croix Hospice of Cedar Falls, IA.

Craig was a “blue jeans” kind of guy, so please feel free to wear jeans or other casual attire to the visitation.