Barbara Roden with Rod Craggs in 2018, after Roden was first elected mayor of Ashcroft. (Image Credit: Barbara Roden/Facebook)

By Victor Kaisar

Rod Craggs

Former Ashcroft Mayor, Fire Chief Rod Craggs dies at 97

May 25, 2025 | 7:30 AM

ASHCROFT, B.C. — The community of Ashcroft is mourning the passing of former Mayor Rod Craggs, who also served as Fire Chief.

In a post on Facebook, current Ashcroft Mayor Barbara Roden says Craggs died on Friday (May 23) at the age of 97 and that he “led an extraordinary life.”

“[Rod] was CP stationmaster in Ashcroft, and his lifelong interest in trains led him to create a huge model railway layout in a shed in the back yard of his home on the Mesa,” Roden said.

“A keen amateur radio operator, he had a ham radio outfit in the same shed, where he kept in touch with other enthusiasts around the world. He was also a telegraph operator, who never lost his knowledge of Morse code.”

In addition to serving as chief of the Ashcroft Volunteer Fire Department, Craggs was also a Search and Rescue volunteer. According to Roden, he was also one of the area’s first ambulance drivers and attendants, and begin training in 1975, not long after what is now BC Emergency Health Services was formed.

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“[Rod] ran for mayor of Ashcroft in a by-election in 1964 and served in that position for two years,” Roden said. “He did not run again for mayor, but served two years as an Ashcroft councillor (or alderman, as they were known in those days) in 1968 and 1969.”

“He was proud of the fact that during his time as mayor, most of the streets in downtown Ashcroft were paved for the first time.”

Craggs Crescent, off Hollis Road, in Ashcroft is named in Rod’s honour.

“RIP, Rod, and thank you for your years of dedicated service to our community and the people who live here,” Roden added.