Paul Mamwaring
Yesterday on our way down to Nevada, Ruth played back messages from Ooma, our home phone service which we check only periodically. There was a message from Joanne Dangerfield, the wife of Craig Dangerfield. She said that he passed away last Saturday. As I listened to her message, I became very emotional. Tears welled up and I began to cry as I thought about Craig “Dangerdog” (my old nickname for him) Dangerfield. I continued emotional for quite a while and almost had to pull over because my tears blurred my vision. He was a true friend. He is a soul without guile. He has been the one I have always thought of when we read in the scriptures about the Savior meeting Nathanael and saying, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile” (John 1:47). Craig was a friend to everyone. He was a guileless soul from the beginning. He called me out of the blue asking if I would be interested in going bowling or something. We were in the same singles ward, but had not ever really talked more than a hello. It came at a time when I was feeling a little tired of the dating scene and how I kept hitting dead ends. I had thought that maybe I needed to concentrate less on the romantic aspect of relationships, and more on the friendship aspect of relationships. I recall that I realized I did not have that many guy friends that I did things with and maybe I ought to get back in touch with friendships and carryover those qualities and principles into my dating life. Craigs call came at such a time. I thought, why not. He almost seemed a little odd to me at first because of his friendliness. I guess I thought things like, is he for real? What is his angle? But it did not take long to realize that was just him. He was a true soul. Non-judgemental. He liked everyone. He was just a very good person. He became a dear friend. When there was an opening in our apartment, he became our roommate. He has ever been a good friend, despite the lack of contact over the years. Why did I cry so much upon hearing the news? …Because I love him. He left such an imprint on my soul. His influence has continued throughout the many years since our close contact. I love Craig Dangerfield. BTW - Nathanael means “gift of God.” Craig also fits that description for me.
