Obituary of James Phillip Cragg

James Phillip Cragg, Jr. (93) of Ellicott City, MD passed away on January 2, 2015 at his daughter's home in Great Falls, VA. Mr. Cragg was interred at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Easton, MD on January 6, 2015. Affectionately known as "Tim" or "Dr. Tim", Mr. Cragg is survived by his loving wife, Marie Stafford Cragg and their two children, James Phillip Cragg, III of Baltimore, MD and Pamela Stafford Cragg Singleton of Great Falls, VA. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, William O. Horney, Jr. and his children, William O. Horney, III, John T. Horney, and Priscilla A. Jones, and their families. Mr. Cragg was born June 17, 1921 and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the son of Bertha Lenore Cragg and James Phillip Cragg, Sr. Mr. Cragg served in the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant Commander from 1943-1945. During his tour of duty, Mr. Cragg crisscrossed the Atlantic Ocean and traversed the Panama Canal to the South Pacific. Upon returning from the service, Mr. Cragg finished his degree at the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. He eventually served as President of the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy Alumni Association and was a member of the American Pharmaceutical Association. Mr. Cragg also served on the Board of Directors of the Calvert Drug Co. in Baltimore. Mr. Cragg began working at the Irvington Pharmacy when he was 15 years old, as a delivery boy for his "Uncle Jack" John Wannenwetsch. Over the next 40 years, Tim became a partner and eventually sole owner of the Pharmacy. The Irvington Pharmacy, located in West Baltimore, was considered a community landmark. Generations of Irvingtonians will remember the orange and blue Rexall signs on the corner of Frederick and Augusta Avenues marking the spot where they bought candy on the way home from school, bought batteries for new toys on Christmas Day, drank milkshakes at the soda fountain, or picked up a prescription. When Mr. Cragg and his family sold the business in 1988, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. added one of its historic Irvington Rexall signs to their collection. Mr. Cragg was an athlete and avid sports enthusiast. He discovered golf as a teenager and it became his lifelong passion. Free moments not devoted to the business and family were spent playing golf, attending tournaments as well as reading, watching or talking about golf. Tim was a long-time member of the Rolling Road Golf Club in Catonsville, and he was a team member of its 1952 Maryland State Club Championship Team. A lifetime member of the Middle Atlantic Golf Association -- Mr. Cragg served as its President from 1961-1962 and Vice President from 1957-1961. For those who knew and loved Tim, please join the family in a memorial service and celebration of his life on Saturday, February 21st, 10:00 a.m., at St. John's Episcopal Church, 9120 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, MD, followed by a reception at Rolling Road Golf Club, 814 Hilltop Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Wannenwetsch / Cragg Memorial Prize Scholarship at the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy in Baltimore. The Prize, originally established in 1963 to honor his Uncle Jack, is awarded annually to the graduating senior who demonstrates exceptional performance in the practice of community pharmacy.