Craig Roberts
Alton |
Craig A. Roberts 62, of Washington, DC passed away on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at his home. He was born on June 17, 1962, in Alton, IL, the son of the late Jack and Rosemary (Pichee) Roberts. Craig was a 1980 Alton High School graduate. He attended Western Illinois University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1984. Craig continued his education at the University of Illinois Springfield.
Craig is survived by his siblings, Steven Roberts of Brighton, Stacy (Jim) Giddens of Godfrey, Cole Roberts of Brighton, Shannon (Bill) Willhite of St. Louis, MO and Susan (Curt) Robbins of Godfrey. He is also survived by his nephews and nieces; Tony, Jason, Amy, Ashley, Brittany, Christopher, Jake, Alex, Brandon, Brandi, Karie, Haley, Stefanie, Dustin, Samantha, Sydney, and Kennedy along with many great nieces and nephews.
Along with his parents, Craig was preceded in death by his sister, Sheryl Goodpasture, and his grandparents.
Craig started his extensive career in politics in 1986 as the Program Director of the Illinois House Republican Organization. He then worked as Assistant to the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and later served as Assistant to the Secretary of the Illinois Secretary of State for 7 years. While in Illinois State government, Craig co-authored several editions of the Almanac of Illinois Politics. He then made the move to Washington, DC - the place we all knew he wanted to be - where he worked for 24 years as Chief of Staff for Congressman John Shimkus. During that time, Craig served as President of the House Chiefs of Staff Association, the longest-existing bipartisan staff association in the history of Congress. He later became a Special Advisor at House Committee on Administration, then a Consultant until his final position as Senior Vice President at Milne, Wiener & Shofe Global Strategies.
Craig was a generous, humble, and dedicated public servant. He demonstrated his kindness in many ways - whether by bringing fruits and vegetables from a local farmers market to his coworkers or by sending special gifts to his nieces and nephews (such as the Glee soundtrack for every new season, a butterfly book, or a Taylor Swift t-shirt after one of her concerts. When Craig was in town, all of the kids were eager to spend time with him, and even though they wanted to hear about his life, he was only concerned with hearing about theirs. He didn't always talk much but when he did, his words carried meaning - whether they made you happy, brought a smile to your face, or were thought-provoking.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Craig on March 8, 2025 from 3-9 p.m. at the Alton VFW 4445 North Alby St Alton, IL where a service will be held at 5p.m. Guests are welcome to share their memories of Craig at this time.
There will also be a service in Washington DC on March 10, 2025 from 4-7p.m. at one of Craig's favorite places, the Capitol Hill Club, where a formal program with speakers will begin at 5:00p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Craig's name to the Riverbend Head Start-Alton 550 Landmarks Blvd 3rd Fl Alton, IL 62002 or to the DC Central Kitchen 2121 First St SW Ste 140 Washington, DC 20024.
