John Craig Cranston

Highlands - John Craig Cranston, age 85, died February 2, 2011 in Highlands, North, Carolina after a lengthy illness.

Mr. Cranston is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marie Teague Cranston, two daughters, Catherine Whitham (Wayne) of Richmond, Virginia, and Elizabeth Cleckler (Mike) of Birmingham, Alabama; four grandchildren, Ann Whitham Cundy (Steve), Craig Cranston Whitham, Joseph Bryan Boudreaux (Kathleen), and James Scott Boudreaux, Jr.

He was born in Augusta, Georgia on January 2, 1926 to John Craig and Catherine Verdery Cranston. He graduated from the Academy of Richmond County and from Clemson University in electrical engineering in 1949, following a tour of military duty. He served in the United States Air Force from 1944 until 1946 and again during the Korean War in Greenland from 1951 to 1952, ultimately reaching the rank of Major in the Air Force Reserve.

He was a part-time resident of the North Carolina mountains and had been coming to Highlands since 1932 when his parents built a summer home on Satulah Mountain. He was president and later chairman of the board of Cranston, Robertson, and Whitehurst, P.C., an engineering and surveying firm he founded in Augusta in 1963. The branch office of his firm operated in Cashiers from 1972 until 1997. He was a passionate land conservationist long before conservation practices became popular and he directed his engineering practice accordingly. His abiding interest in the Southern Appalachians, and especially in this corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was evident to all who worked or walked with him during his many active years in the area. As a youth, he frequently walked from Whiteside Cove through Hiram’s Cove into Highlands and knew every foot of granite on Whiteside Mountain. As an adult, he hiked almost every path along the Chattooga River and knew obscure logging roads for miles around. He was also an ardent advocate for planting trees and sustaining the Southern forest. Those who knew him could always count on a story about early Highlands-Cashiers residents from the 1930s or 40s and how the area developed.

Mr. Cranston was actively involved in his communities. In Augusta he served on the board of directors of SunTrust Bank and was a dedicated volunteer and leader with many local historical and community initiatives.

He was a trustee of Historic Augusta, Inc. and an honorary life trustee of the Augusta Museum of History. He served lengthy terms as chairman of the Board of the Cemetery of the Village of Summerville and as president of the Trustees of the Academy of Richmond County. He was also a member of the Society of Colonial Wars in Georgia. In North Carolina, he was a founding member of the Highlands Land Trust, a member of the Jackson County Planning Board, and a member of the foundation board of the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital.

The family would like to thank all who cared with great compassion for Craig over the past several years, especially Janet Hall, Kim Hervey, Brenna Roper, and Cindee Salsbury.

Graveside services will be held at Summerville Cemetery in Augusta, Georgia on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 1:00 PM. A memorial service will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, the Highlands Land Trust, or the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers.

Bryant-Grant Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences are available by visiting bryantgrantfuneralhome.com or by email.