Craig Harders

Craig Harders, 77, of Gladbrook, Iowa; a loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on the evening of May 23, 2024 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa.

Services for Craig will be held on Monday June 3, 2024 beginning at 12:00 P.M. at the Salem Church of Lincoln. A visitation will be held from 10:30 A.M. until start of services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family for a later designation. For additional information or to send a condolence to the family please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234.

Craig Eugene Harders was born January 27, 1947 in Marshalltown, Iowa. He was one of three children born to Marvin and Helen (Storjohann) Harders. Craig attended school in Gladbrook, Iowa where he grew up with his family and graduated in the Class of 1965. Craig was part of the United States Army Reserves for a number of years.

On May 1, 1971, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, Stephanie Ehmen at the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Grundy Center. In their early years of marriage, they called the smaller towns near Holland, Iowa their home. They moved to Lincoln, Iowa and began a family raising their three children, Brandon, Jaime and Jennifer. They would later end up calling Gladbrook their home. Craig was a hard worker and started off working for the Lincoln Co-Op as a LP salesman. After the Co-Op, he went to working as a bulldozer operator for PCI where he retired in 2017.

Craig was active in his community being a member of the Salem Church of Lincoln, Izaak Walton League, Gladbrook Slow Pitch Team, he served on the board for the Gladbrook Water Committee, and a member of the Gladbrook Man Cave. When he wasn’t out in the community, he spent his time hanging out with his family especially his grandsons. He loved to go to all of their activities they were in. He also enjoyed trap shooting, hunting coyotes or as the grandsons call them, “naughty dogs”, watching Drag Races on the television and taking heavy interest in the classic cars. He was always one to love a golf cart ride and a Friday night out with the dinner crew and then back home for Dateline and Blue Bloods.

Those left to remember and cherish his memory are his children, Brandon Harders, Jaime (Scott) Schmidt, and Jenny (Dave) Schmitz; his grandchildren, Parker Schmidt, Bennett Schmidt, Wilken Schmitz and Theo Schmitz; his sister, Dot (Chuck) Barnes; nieces and nephews, Angie (Mark) Thesing, Joe (Michele) Barnes, Dustin Ehmen, Michael Ehmen, Hayden (Raz) Coens, and Dylan Coens; along with his four-legged, furry companion Eddie.

He is preceded in death by his loving wife, Stephanie Harders who passed away in 2023; his parents, Marvin and Helen Harders; and his sister Kathy Harders in infancy.