James C. Craver

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he cherished memories of storybook Christmases in North Carolina, with trees chopped from the surrounding woods and simple handmade gifts shared among a large family of cousins.

James C. “Jim” Craver, 89, of St. Petersburg, passed away peacefully on October 30, 2026, in hospice care at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System.

Jim was born on February 20, 1937, in Yadkinville, North Carolina, to Moodie Craver and Annie Pearl (Wilkins) Craver, and was raised in Concord. A grandson of tobacco farmers, he cherished memories of storybook Christmases in North Carolina, with trees chopped from the surrounding woods and simple handmade gifts shared among a large family of cousins.

In 1955, Jim enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served eight years as an Intelligence Operations Specialist, with assignments in Texas, Nebraska, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Japan and England. Along the way, he learned data processing at the IBM Center in Dallas, which set the course for the rest of his working life. His most memorable post was at Strategic Air Command headquarters in Omaha, where he worked on the nation’s nuclear war plan. He earned the Air Force Commendation Medal for developing an automated system to help evaluate target strike data, and he was honorably discharged in 1963 as an Airman First Class.

After the service, Jim worked briefly as a bank teller in San Diego before moving to Los Angeles to begin a career as a computer programmer and systems analyst with Prudential and Occidental. He later moved to Phoenix, and in 1987 to St. Petersburg, where he spent 13 years with Franklin Templeton before retiring in 2001.

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Jim loved the open road.

While in California, Jim married Lidiette “Lydia” Johanning, a native of Costa Rica, and together they had a son, Scott. Lydia passed away in 2000.

Jim loved the open road. In 1976 he rode his Harley-Davidson in the first Three Flags Classic, from Tijuana, Mexico, to Vancouver, Canada. The following year, he and Scott took to the road together, pulling a pop-up tent trailer through Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Salt Lake City and Yosemite. He painted oil portraits, enjoyed ballroom dancing and golf, and sailed his 25-foot Catalina, Ms. Dorothy. He traveled by cruise ship to Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, crossed the Atlantic by ship from Barcelona, and counted Costa Rica, Cancún and Casa de Campo among his favorite places. In St. Petersburg he was an active member of the Northdale OWLS (Older, Wiser, Lively Seniors), where he enjoyed the monthly gatherings and making new friends.

Asked once about his favorite memories, Jim answered simply: “Lydia and storybook Christmases in North Carolina.”

He was preceded in death by his wife, Lydia, and his parents. He is survived by his son, Scott Craver, and daughter-in-law, Brendi, of Clearwater; his grandchildren, Jena Furnari and her husband, Doug, and Riley, Rachel and Joshua Craver; and Dorothy White, his devoted companion of more than 20 years. He was the brother of John Craver.

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Jim answered simply: “Lydia and storybook Christmases in North Carolina.”

Jim will be laid to rest beside Lydia at Calvary Catholic Cemetery with Air Force military honors. Services will be announced. Arrangements are entrusted to A Life Tribute Funeral Care, Largo.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hospice Unit at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, in honor of the care Jim received in his final days. Checks or money orders may be made payable to “VA Bay Pines Healthcare System,” with “Hospice Unit” noted on the memo line, and mailed to Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (135), P.O. Box 5005, 10000 Bay Pines Boulevard, Bay Pines, FL 33744.