In Loving Memory of Craig Robert Roh

For those of you who don’t know, in August 2022 Craig was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. For the past 18 months Craig has been battling and fighting through various cancer treatments. Craig did not want to go public with his diagnosis and battle because, in true Craig fashion, he did not want the attention to be on him. From chemo, to targeted therapy, to clinical trials at MD Anderson and in Honduras, Craig was resilient till the very end, but God brought him home on Monday, February 26th 2024. 

All of the proceeds from this gofundme will go towards medical expenses, future schooling for Max, and life for Chelsea as they mourn and start to rebuild their life. 

A celebration of life will be held in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday March 16th, 2024.

Time: 11 am

Location:

Camelback Bible Church

3900 E Stanford Dr.

Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

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Craig’s life was characterized by perseverance, hard work and fulfilling his life’s purpose. He was born January 25th, 1991 as the first born son to Fred and Cynthia Roh. Craig’s childhood was filled with time at Camelback Bible’s youth group and excelling in sports and academics. Craig committed his life to Christ at the young age of 6 and was an unashamed witness for his faith to all who knew him. At the same young age, Craig began his development as an athlete, playing football & basketball at the local YMCA and Boys and Girls Club, then later traveling the country with AAU basketball teams and continuing his pursuit of football excellence.

Upon entering Chaparral High School, Craig made his mark in sports, academics and long lasting friendships. He was a deans list student his entire high school years, and after becoming a varsity football starter his sophomore year, Craig would go on to become one of the most highly recruited high school football players in Arizona. He received offers from 35 Division I programs and was awarded Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year for football his senior year, as well as Under Armor All-American. He chose to accept a full-ride scholarship to play football at The University of Michigan, where the family had grown up visiting in the summers. Throughout all of this, Craig still maintained his faith in Jesus and was a light to his friends, family and church. 

At the University of Michigan, Craig’s perseverance and resilience would shine brightly. Craig would set the record for most consecutive starts in a career, starting as a true freshman and every game through his Senior year. He earned freshman All-American, All-Big Ten, Top Michigan Defensive Lineman and won a BCS Sugar Bowl. 

After Michigan, Craig would play one year in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and then move on to professional football in the Canadian Football League. After college, Craig would meet the love of his life, Chelsea and they married in 2016. Together they moved to Vancouver, Canada where they would live for 3 years while Craig played for the BC Lions and then move to Winnipeg where he won a CFL Grey Cup championship and spent 2 years deeply involved in his church and community. 

After football, Craig wanted to expand his career into technology, and moved to Austin, TX. There, Craig started working for various tech startups while building an online defensive line coaching football business. More importantly, he and Chelsea started their family in September 2021, when Craig became a father to their son, Max, now 2 1/2 years old and already showing the athletic prowess of his Father. 

It’s hard to put into words the impact that Craig has had on so many people. He was a father, a husband, a brother, a son, a friend, and a teammate. He led the charge into the Big House for four years in front of 110,000 people, married the love of his life Chelsea 8yrs ago, brought a baby boy Max into this world, won a CFL Championship, built a thriving online coaching business, and so much more. Despite all of his accomplishments, Craig always led with vulnerability, humility and humor.

Craig didn’t care about the frivolous things of life. He wanted to spend all of his time caring, loving, and building a life around the things that he believed mattered. Whether it was his faith, his marriage, his son, his family, his friends or his business he always had an unrelenting focus with his time and energy. He knew the things that mattered in life and those were the only things he would put time into, even if it meant wearing tank tops every weekend and having a decade old wardrobe.

Craig will be remembered for his incredible rhythm (dancing to “crank that” in the 300 building at Chaparral on Friday game days), the intensity with which he pursued his craft, his unwavering love for chipotle, his love for is wife Chelsea, care for his family and his devotion to Christ. Craigs last days were spent under the devoted and loving care of Chelsea while being secure in Christ's eternal security for him and his family. Even though Craig’s life was cut short on this earth, he truly felt he had lived a full life and knew he was going to spend eternity with Jesus.

As Chelsea, Max and the rest of us mourn and start to move forward in life, any support for Chelsea and Max would be greatly appreciated!