Craig J. Steffen, age 72, of Dubuque, IA, died unexpectedly on April 15, 2025.  A memorial service for Craig will be held at 3:00 p.m. CT, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 3650 Asbury Road in Dubuque. It may also be attended virtually via Zoom meeting ID: 836 8476 0436, Passcode: 1952.  The Tri-State Cremation Center is humbly serving Craig’s family.

Craig was born on November 28, 1952, in Cresco, IA, to John J. and Barbara M (Ehlert) Steffen, and grew up in Dubuque.  He was in the first graduating class of Hempstead High School in 1971.  After graduation, he worked at Bacon Veneer and part-time for his father at Steffen’s Standard Service Station on W. Locust.  After a number of years at Bacon Veneer, he moved to Dyersville and began working at Modernfold, Inc., spending about 18 years there.  For health reasons, he moved to Farley, and later worked at Goodwill in Dubuque.  He retired from there in 2017 and moved to Dubuque in 2019.

His faith and family were his greatest joys, and he always did his best to make the most of each day he was given.  He was also very appreciative of and grateful for his family who helped him through his health struggles, as well as for his friends, and his many caregivers at Stonehill, Oak Park Place, and Hawkeye Care Center.  He was always ready with a joke and had an uncanny ability to give everyone around him a hard time in the most loving way possible.

In his free time, Craig enjoyed some hobbies like woodworking and building projects, and was known as a collector of all kinds of pig souvenirs. But throughout Craig’s life, his faith and devotion to serving Jehovah God was his top priority.  He thus spent as much time as he could in Bible study and sharing the good news of God’s Kingdom with others.  Craig was a kind and gentle soul who loved to kid those around him and was able to find peace in each circumstance that made its way into his life.  He especially enjoyed talking with and listening to the young children of his friends, and because of his kind attention to them, many of those young ones considered him their best friend. We will miss Craig more than words could say, and now wait patiently to see him again one day, vibrant and healthy.

Those left to cherish the memory of Craig include,

his two brothers,
Mark B. (Rebecca) Steffen, Dubuque, IA,
and Kim W. (Regan) Steffen, Centerville, IA;

his nephews,
Javan Steffen, Kidron Steffen, and Micaiah Steffen, all of Greeneville, SC

along with numerous extended family, friends, and neighbors.

Craig was preceded in death by his parents; his uncle, Wallace Ehlert; and his aunts, Sucyn “Sue” (Harold) Tenney, Mary Ehlert, Eleanor Lester, Emma Aegler, Florence Walker, and Mildred Lester-Schaber.

Craig’s family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Hawkeye Care Center, the Finley Emergency Room, Oak Park Place, and Stonehill Communities for all of their professional and compassionate care.

Online condolences may be shared with Craig’s family at www.tristatecremationcenter.com