Craig Douglas Kleine, 70, Bowling Green, passed Sept. 25, 2023, after a car/motorcycle accident. He was born March 11, 1953, at Toledo Hospital to DeLores (Ruch) and Edgar Kleine. He married Janis Hagemeyer on July 10, 1976. He is survived by his wife, son Alex (Lia) Kleine, Hilliard; daughter Lauren (Kyle) Sherman, Perrysburg; and grandchildren Frank, Andrea, Vivienne, Jessie and Jamie. He is predeceased by his parents and his sister-and-brother-in-law Karen and Bob Wohler.
He graduated with the Eastwood High School Class of ’71, got his Bachelors in Art Education from Capital University in 1975 and his MA and MFA degrees from BGSU in 1978. He was a painter who discovered photography in post-graduate studies. He worked for multiple camera stores including Blue Ribbon, Meijer and Castle Photo and ended his employment at Elder Beerman. He showed his paintings at the Toledo Museum of Art and was once featured in a magazine.
Craig was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, attended and was active at Cloverdale United Methodist Church for 40 years, and played dartball with Hope Lutheran Church. He was a member of Portage Center Arbor of Gleaners. He loved motorcycles, coffee, watching football and baseball and motorcycle and car races, cooking, reading, gardening and mowing lawns. He spent decades of summers vacationing at Lake Erie with family and visited Hocking Hills at least once every year. For the past seven years, he participated in the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride fundraiser with his son and grandchildren. But his greatest passion was his grandchildren, always ready to chauffeur, coach, discipline, photograph, tease, and cheer.
Contributions in Craig’s honor may get gifted to Cloverdale United Methodist Church 8984 Kramer Rd, Bowling Green, OH 43402 or Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride or Sew Hope.
Visitation for Craig will be held on Friday, October 13, 2023 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM in the Deck-Hanneman Funeral Home & Crematory, 1460 W. Wooster Street, Bowling Green, Ohio. Additional visitation will be on Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 10:00 AM until the time of his funeral service at 11:00 AM at the funeral home.
Online condolences as well as fond memories may be shared with Craig’s family by visiting www.hannemanfuneralhomes.com.
