Elwin M. Craft, 80, Syracuse, died Wednesday, July 13, 2016, at IU Health Goshen Hospital.

He was born Jan. 12, 1936, in Elgin, Ill., to Maurice and Violet Craft.

On June 5, 1971, he married Bonnie Emmert in Plato Center, Ill. They celebrated 45 years of marriage.

Bonnie survives along with a son: Michael (Lucia) Craft, Peoria, Ariz.; two daughters: Michelle Craft; and Melissa Riggs, both of Geneva, Ill.; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; four stepchildren: Cynthia (Jeff) Byerhof, Malta, Ill.; Darrell (Stephanie) Shover, Syracuse; Elaine (Randy) Book, Belvidere, Ill.; and Edward (Lisa) Shover, Courtland, Ill.; 13 stepgrandchildren; a great-stepgrandson; and a brother: Wendel (Brenda) Craft, Rock City, Ill. He was preceded in death by his parents; and an infant sister.

Elwin’s passion was his small engines. He was a mechanic in the U.S. Army in Germany. He worked at Zimmerman Ford in St. Charles, Ill. for many years. He built his first house in Illinois and started his own business.

He eventually moved to Indiana and built his home in Syracuse and continued to work on small engines. He became a member of the Two Cylinder Club, now called the Johnny Poppers. He started the Northern Indiana Garden Tractor Club. He had the talent to look at a picture and make that tractor and modified two tractors to make one.

Elwin enjoyed his morning coffee and the telling of tall tales at the Syracuse café. A member of the Congregational Church of Lily Lake, Ill., he attended St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church while living in Syracuse. He was well loved by all and will be sorely missed.

Visitation will be from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, July 17, at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home where a 10 a.m. Monday, July 18, funeral service will be conducted. Pastor Troy Diersing of the Ligonier Evangelical Church will officiate.

Burial will take place in Baker Cemetery, Maple Park, Ill.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the Northern Indiana Johnny Poppers, PO Box 656, New Paris, IN 46553.