Craig John Maze

Craig John Maze, 67, of Wellington, Florida, passed away unexpectedly on February 24, 2014. Craig was born in Brooklyn, New York, April 10, 1946, to the late Charles and Edna Mazoujian. Craig graduated from Tenafly High School in 1964 and received a Bachelor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, in New Jersey in 1969. From 1972 to 1984, he was a Captain and Top Gun in the Air Force, where he flew F4 fighters in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, England, and Germany. Craig began sharing life with Nancy Ford in 1985 and they married on November 20, 1999. During their lives together, they lived in Sylmar, California; Huntington Beach, California; and Tucson, Arizona before retiring to Wellington, Florida in 2013. Craig worked at the Lockheed Skunk Works in Burbank, California (1984-1988); Northrop Grumman, Pico Rivera, California on the B2 bomber (1988-1999); and, most recently, for Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona (1999-2012) before retiring in Wellington, Florida. Since childhood, Craig always wanted to be an engineer. He bought science and invention magazines and his pockets were always bursting with bits of paper that had notes and ideas. He enjoyed playing with scientific gadgets and was very detailed and single-minded. His father liked to tell the story about the time Craig unbolted the pencil sharpener from its location in the back of the classroom (unbeknownst to the teacher) and rebolted it near where he sat so it would be more convenient. As a teenager, he admired Kelly Johnson and wanted to one day follow in his footsteps and work as engineer at the Lockheed Skunk Works. After resigning his commission with the Air Force in 1984, that's exactly what he did. Craig loved being an air force pilot and later, working as an engineer with defense companies to put his flying experience to use in aircraft system design. He loved this country and believed in everything he worked on to protect both the pilots and the country. He enjoyed working on computers and gadgets of all kinds, filling his pockets and his home with papers and magazines on both subjects. He tutored high school students in math and his favorite pastime was working trigonometry and calculus problems for fun. Craig is survived by his wife, Nancy; sister, Dr. Gwen Mazoujian, and her husband, Dr. Darrow Haagensen, of Sacramento, California. Services are scheduled for Saturday, March 15, 2014, 10:00 a.m. at: Church of the Atonement 97 Highwood Ave. Tenafly, NJ 07670 (viewing 9:00-9:45 a.m.) Internment with military honors will follow at 11:30 a.m. at: George Washington Memorial Park 234 Paramus Road Paramus, NJ 07653. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Vietnam Veterans of America at: Florida State Council Vietnam Veterans of America PO Box 331322 Atlantic Beach, FL 32233-1322 ************************************************ High Flight Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long delirious, burning blue, I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew - And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untresspassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand and touched the face of God. Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee No 412 squadron, RCAF Killed 11 December 1941