116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Bex, Dr. Craig Alan
Dr. Craig Alan Bex, D.D., Ph.D., 60, of Cedar Rapids, died Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, at Mercy Medical Center following a sudden illness. A Celebration of Life service will be 5 p.m. Sunday at Edgewood Family Fellowship Church, 621 Edgewood Rd. NW, Cedar Rapids. Friends may visit with the family at the church Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sunday after 3 p.m. Private graveside services will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife, Olga of Cedar Rapids; daughter, Angela Bex (Fidel Jackson) of Chicago; son, Bradley James “B.J.” (Jenni) Bex of Cedar Rapids; two grandchildren, Kameran and James; sister, Jo Annette Bex of Mesquite, Texas; and several half brothers and sisters.
Craig was born Sept. 29, 1953, in Clinton, and at birth was placed in the Annie Whittenmeyer Children's Home in Davenport from where Norman and Stella Bex of Cedar Rapids adopted him. He attended Erskine Elementary, Franklin Junior High, and graduated from Washington Senior High in Cedar Rapids. With a group of friends who had sung together from Franklin Junior High and with the encouragement of Mr. Ashford, the vocal music director at Washington, Craig was the founder of what is known today as the Washington Madrigal Singers. After high school he enlisted in the Air Force, and was trained as a medical service specialist, with additional training as an anesthesiology technician. He flew medical air-evac during Vietnam.
Craig completed his master's degree in Religion at Indiana Christian University, Indianapolis, and was awarded his Doctor of Divinity from Indiana Christian University and his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Christian Bible College and Seminary in Missouri, with a specialty in marriage and family counseling.
Craig spent his entire life serving God as a pastor in various locations, including Arkansas, Indiana, and in Iowa in Kamrar, Knoxville, and Cedar Rapids. He loved spending time with his family and grandchildren. As a grateful recipient of an organ donation in 2008, Craig was a proud supporter of the Iowa Donor Network.
Memorials may be directed to the family.
Arrangements are under the direction of Teahen Funeral Home of Cedar Rapids and Bybee & Davis Funeral Home of Knoxville.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.teahenfuneralhome.com or www.bertrandfuneralhomes.com.
Published Oct. 10, 2013 in The Gazette
Daily Newsletters