Craig John Wehrli, MD

Craig John Wehrli, MD, passed away on June 1, 2026, at his home in Olympia, Washington. He was born on December 26, 1951, in Newton, New Jersey, to Robert and Margaret (Wilson) Wehrli.

Craig’s family moved frequently throughout his childhood due to his father’s career, creating a lasting love of travel and exploration. Out of the many places they lived, his favorite was Geneva, Switzerland, where he attended middle school and became fluent in French.

Craig later attended high school in Houston, Texas, where he earned enough credits to leave before graduation and enroll at the University of Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. He continued his education at the University of California, Davis, where he earned a Master of Science in Physiology before attending the UC Davis School of Medicine. After two years, he transferred to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

In St. Louis, Craig was fortunate to meet Jane Allen, and they were married in 1979.

Similar to his early life, the winding path of medical education took the couple to many corners of the United States. An internship at Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, was followed by a move to Seattle, where Craig completed Internal Medicine at the University of Washington. This was followed by a move to San Diego, California, where Craig completed a fellowship in Cardiology at the University of California, San Diego. In 1985, Craig and his family moved to Olympia, Washington, where he joined Memorial Clinic. In 2001, he became a founding member of Cardiology Associates, expanding access to care into an underserved area of the state. He practiced cardiology in the community for 35 years.

Never one to shy away from complexity, Craig’s love for both medicine and travel converged early in his career when he had the privilege to teach interventional cardiology to physicians in Moscow, Russia during a period of pivotal transformation in the country.

Craig also had a lifelong passion for computers and technology, leveraging a childhood filled with electrical experiments and vehicular modifications into a deep understanding of computers, coding, and relational data. In the moments he found in between interventional cardiology, travel, and family, he developed a patient care-focused electronic medical records system that was used by physicians throughout the western states. He subsequently enjoyed retirement volunteering with Team Heart, an organization dedicated to improving access to cardiac care in Rwanda for patients with rheumatic heart disease, ultimately creating a computer program for Team Heart that helped medical professionals track patients' laboratory results throughout Rwanda.

A gifted pianist, Craig brought joy to family and friends through his music, sharing his talent throughout his life. Many holidays and family gatherings were filled with wonderful songs and ad-hoc covers of popular music as his four grandchildren gathered around him at the piano. Evenings were often filled with new requests, and Craig’s ability to play by ear made many wonderful and often humorous memories for children and adults alike.

Craig will be remembered for his dedication to medicine, perpetual curiosity, quiet generosity, love of travel, boating, cocktail mixology, and the lasting impact he made on the lives of his patients, colleagues, friends, and family.

Craig is survived by his wife, Jane; his son, Justin Wehrli, and daughter-in-law, Sara; his daughter, Lisa Jarnagin, and son-in-law, Owen; and his beloved grandchildren, Olivia and Sebastian Wehrli, and Seona and Alden Jarnagin. He is also survived by his sister, LuEllen Edwards (David), as well as nieces, nephews, and additional family members, all of whom adored him.

A Celebration of Life for Craig will be held July 18 at 2 pm at the Olympia Country Club in Olympia WA. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Craig’s honor to TeamHeart.Org or Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF).