“He lived his entire adulthood in three different homes in Fair Haven, NJ, a town he adored and planned never leave.”

That’s what longtime Fair Havenite Craig C. Sergeant’s obituary said about the local man who passed away unexpectedly on March 22 at the age of 71 in New Brunswick.

His life will be celebrated from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St., Red Bank. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 28, at the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury, 352 Sycamore Avenue, Shrewsbury.

Born in 1946 to Raymond and Dorothy Clarke Sergeant in Red Bank, Craig grew up there and graduated from Red Bank High School in 1964 and Albright College in Pennsylvania in 1968. After college, he settled down in Fair Haven and never planned on leaving.

From his obituary …

Craig was known among his family members and friends for his dedication to his family and his close and loving relationship with his wife, Pamela, his high school sweetheart and best friend.

They were happily enjoying and celebrating their 50th year of marriage. Their relationship exemplified a model for love and respect. He was dedicated to his three children and six grandchildren. He enjoyed being involved in their lives and activities, perennially the consummate fan, audience member, coach and teacher.

Craig was a natural leader whose friendly personality, integrity and impeccable work ethic earned him many accolades from captain of the football team and “most popular” at Red Bank High School, to becoming the CFO, President, CEO and chairman of several companies until his retirement in 2002.

He started his professional career with PriceWaterhouse and then at his brother Raymond’s family-owned Traffic Lines. He then built a long and successful career at such companies as Seacoast Products, Hanson Industries and US Industries, where he was a mentor and esteemed colleague to many talented people whom he called his friends.

Craig was a true craftsman, with everything from hand tools to adding machines and calculators. His do-it-yourself attitude and breadth of expertise was unique in any generation, including his own. He personified selflessness, always worried about everything and everyone but himself. Always prepared for anything and everything, he was his family’s and neighbors’ go-to for help. He was recognized as both the first call and the first responder to any task, no matter how trivial or daunting.

Craig is predeceased by: his brothers, Raymond Jr. and Donald.

He is survived by: his wife Pam; three children, Scott, Alison and Brian; their spouses Cristina Soto, David Ross and Lauren Tynan; and his six beloved grandchildren Sonia, Kai, Will, Charlotte, Audrey and Elisabeth to whom he is and will always be known as Grandpa; his nephews Gary, Brad and Mark Sergeant and their wives, Deborah, Debra, and Amy, respectively; his sisters/brothers-in-law, Elizabeth Nelson, Patricia and Robert Speedy, David Bett and Kate Bernhard, Heidi and Brian O’Neill, and their many many children and grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the American Heart Association or the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury.