Thursday, May 1, 2014

Photographer Chip Crail Loses His Battle With Cancer

I want to start off this morning by adding my condolences to the family of Chip Crail, a gentle soul and great photographer who has lost his battle with cancer. This is the message put out last night to his friends. Hi all. This is Kelley, Chip's wife. It's with a heavy heart that I tell you that Chip lost his year long battle with pancreatic neuro endocrine cancer last night. He fought hard for a long time but in the end the cancer was too strong. 
Chip Crail
I met Chip when I first started writing this blog in 2012 as he sought me out to offer his help to improve my blog by including pictures. Being a novice and technologically challenged I was happy just getting words in the blog but he walked me through how I could use his pictures and improve what I was doing. Chip liked to shoot from all over the Allen Event Center including from the second level and I would often run into him in an empty suite taking pictures. Just the two of us talking about the game in progress and all things hockey as Chip was a big hockey fan which helped make him a great hockey photographer. When the championship rings arrived I asked Chip if he would take a couple ring pictures of Brian McMillin's ring so I could send them to Brian and Wendy who were living and playing in England at the time. Chip graciously brought to the next game a special camera, lens and light just to take the ring pictures. 

Chip approached me and many of his other friends at the beginning of this season to let us know he was in a battle for his life and it was going to be a tough battle that he may not be able to win but he was going to go down trying. When I saw Chip and Kelley at a game a couple of months ago he told me it would be his last game but he wanted to come one last time to see the team. Chip approached life as well as death with such class and dignity and he will be greatly missed. RIP Chip.

If you are in the area and would like to attend, the family is having a memorial service on Saturday, May 3rd at 1 PM.
Charles W Smith and Sons Funeral Home
601 S Tennessee St
McKinney, TX 75069
972-562-7788

Here are a few of my favorite Chip Crail photos:

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 




 




 




 


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2 comments:

  1. TurtleMay 1, 2014 at 8:50 AM

    Thank you so much for a wonderful piece about Chip. You captured the essence of him. Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 1, 2014 at 9:46 AM

    That championship banner with Chip's picture was auctioned off at the game Tuesday night. Didn't know when I saw it on the table that Chip was leaving this world. :(

    ReplyDelete

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