Idaho Sen. Larry Craig’s father dies at 87

PAYETTE, Idaho – Elvin Craig, the father of Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, has died at a hospice here.

The senator’s office in Washington, D.C., said the 87-year-old Craig died Saturday with his wife, Dorothy, and two children, Larry Craig and Sally Summers, at his bedside. Aides to the senator said his father died peacefully of age-related causes.

Elvin Craig was born in 1918 on the ranch homesteaded by his parents near South Crane Creek on the far western edge of the state, 70 miles northwest of Boise near the Oregon border. He spent 17 years as president of the Fruitvale and Indian Mountain cattle associations.

Elvin Craig also served as a Washington County commissioner and on the Washington County Zoning and Planning board and the Washington County Fair board.

Friends say the four-time basketball letterman at Midvale High School, class of 1937, had a good sense of humor. He played several instruments in local dance bands over the years.