Craig Larry Bauske, 59, of Ray ND passed away at CHI St Alexius ICU in Dickinson North Dakota. He was surrounded by his wife Jonae Bauske and two daughters; Jessica Plummer and Cassandra Bauske. Craig was a loving husband and father.

Craig was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14, 1962, to Marvin and Juliean (Anderson) Bauske. Craig was the older brother to Curtis Bauske. Craig attended 67th Street School from Kindergarten to 6th grade. For middle school he attended Alexander Graham Bell than Alexander Hamilton High School for the remaining years, where he graduated in June 1980.

Craig’s first job, at the age of 14, was delivering the Milwaukee Journal Newspaper; he had to get a work permit in order to work at this age. Craig delivered papers around the neighborhood for two years. Throughout his high school years you could find Craig working at KFC, Mount Carmel Nursing Home, a gas station, Marc’s Big Boy Restaurant, and a glass company. During this time Craig also worked at Vic Tanny Health Club, where he eventually becoming a fitness instructor.

In June of 1981, Craig moved out to Eastern Montana where he rough necked for the oil field for two years. He then made his way to Ray, ND, where he went to work at Ray Service Center. Craig became well known for not only his work ethic, as he was very detailed oriented, but, his uncanny ability to talk to anyone. Craig also drove truck and sold Christmas Trees for Ware’s Post & Pole for many years and worked for Peterman Trucking. It was in the early years to Ray that Craig gained his nicknames Ivan or Putski, as he had a quick wit and charismatic personality.

It was in Ray that Craig met the love of his life, Jonae and they were married February 12, 1988. Craig and Jonae started their family by welcoming their first daughter, Jessica on October 26, 1989. They then welcomed their second daughter Cassandra on May 21, 1995. Craig also volunteered for the Ray Fire Department and Grain Palace City Rodeo Association. He was always willing to lend a hand. After starting his family Craig then started a career at Halliburton working his way through the facets becoming a well-respected supervisor. It was years later when Craig moved on to consulting for Oasis, where he worked on the completion of rigs, with most of his time spent on the production side. Most recently Craig did contract work for Hess Corporation on the Midstream side. No matter where Craig worked, his reputation followed him as a knowledgeable and hardworking man who never left a job unfinished.

Craig enjoyed baseball, kick the can with the neighborhood kids, skiing, riding his motorcycle, golfing, riding horse, swimming, lifting weights, and roping the dummy alongside his wife and daughters, but most importantly he loved supporting them in all that they did. He worked diligently to provide for his family. When Craig wasn’t working you could find him fixing things around the family farm where Jonae grew up and where Craig and Jonae made their home. Craig took pride in taking care of the farm as he loved and respected Jonae’s parents John and Evelyn “Evy” Weisz. If Craig wasn’t working on the farm you could find him helping his daughter and son-in-law Justin Plummer build their house, barn, and horse corrals. Craig became Grandpa on March 9, 2019 to Justin and Jessica’s son, Wade. It was never hard for Craig to find an excuse to drive to Dickinson to see Wade. Craig and Jonae always looked forward to Wade TV, as he called it; he loved singing and playing with Wade.

You could often find Craig and Jonae dancing to a John Pardy or a George Strait song as he was a good dancer and knew how much Jonae loved to dance. Craig wasn’t much of a traveler, as he preferred to be at home with his family. On Craig’s days off, after the work outside was done, he spent time relaxing, watching old western TV shows; he would even record Hopalong Cassidy, so he didn’t miss an episode. His daughters were his pride and joy and he made sure they were well versed in taking care of the vehicles, keeping them in good running condition. Craig loved working with his hands and his daughters knew the value of hard work because of the extraordinary example he led. Even though Craig’s time on Earth was cut short, he lived a very full servant life.

Craig is survived by his wife of 33 years, Jonae, Ray; and daughters, Jessica and Justin Plummer, Dickinson, ND; Cassandra Bauske and Fiancé Jakeb Greer, Williston, ND; grandchildren Wade Plummer, Dickinson, ND; Alexander and Allison Greer, Williston, ND; his parents, Marvin and Juliean Bauske, West Fargo, ND; brother, Curtis Bauske, Greensboro, NC; brother-in-law, Terry and Mary Weisz, Kalispell, MT; sister-in-law, Lana Anderson, Apache Junction, AZ; several beloved uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Craig was greeted by loved ones in Heaven as he was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Zachary Kernel and Alma Anderson; and paternal grandparents, Alonzo and Bertha Bauske; father-in-law, John Weisz and mother-in-law, Evelyn Weisz; brother-in-law, James Morris; sister-in-law, Patricia Horton. Many other family members welcomed him with open arms.