"Country strong, ten feet tall and bulletproof."

That was how Stephen Craig Hart liked to describe himself. And to those who knew and loved Craig, it somehow fit.

Born May 7, 1970, Craig was raised in Castleberry, Alabama, a place that remained part of the country boy he would always be. Craig passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 9, 2026, at the age of 56.

Craig was strong, but his greatest strength was never physical. It was the way he loved, the way he showed up, and the way he protected the people who mattered to him. He loved making people laugh and somehow made a friend wherever he went. Craig truly never met a person he didn't like, and very few people met Craig without liking him right back.

He was a proud and devoted son of the late LD and Jeanette Hart, who passed away in 2018. He graduated from Conecuh County High School in Castleberry and attended Coastal Alabama Community College in Brewton. Craig went on to spend 23 years as a Foreman with CSX Railroad, building a successful career that lasted until illness eventually left him unable to continue working.

But a job title could never adequately describe Craig.

He was a devoted son, a beloved baby brother, a husband, dad, "Pops", PawPaw, uncle and friend. He was fiercely loyal, endlessly supportive and naturally protective of the people he loved.

Although Craig could not have biological children of his own, he showed that fatherhood has very little to do with biology and everything to do with love. He embraced his children, supported them and loved them as his own. The family he helped build became one of the great treasures of his life.

And then there was Leilani.

Their story began with a Match.com connection in the summer of 2013. Their first date was New Year's Eve 2013 at Bonefish Grill, where they would return in the years that followed to celebrate the anniversary of the night their life together truly began.

They fell in love during Mardi Gras season in 2014, making a holiday already known for celebration forever part of their own love story.

Only a few months after they met, life presented them with their first big decision. Leilani was preparing to accept a new job in Charlotte, North Carolina. Craig knew what he wanted. In March 2014, while in Pensacola, Florida, he asked her to marry him.

Craig was all in.

Together, they made Charlotte home and built a life there over the next decade. When another chapter called them west, they prepared to move to Las Vegas to help care for Leilani's mother. Sadly, she passed away before they could arrive. Still, Craig and Leilani made the journey together, beginning another chapter of their life side by side in Las Vegas.

They would share ten years of marriage and more than thirteen years of a love story that carried them through moves, adventures, celebrations, losses, illness and all the beautiful and imperfect realities of building a life with another person.

To Leilani, Craig was far more than her husband. He was her rock, inside and out. Her protector. Her safe place. The man who stood in her corner and supported whatever dream, opportunity, idea or adventure she decided to pursue.

Through faults, shortcomings, difficult seasons, and the ordinary imperfections that exist in every real marriage, Craig's devotion remained steadfast. He shielded her when life became difficult, stood up for her when she needed someone beside her, encouraged her when she wanted to reach for something new, and reminded her through his actions that she never had to face the world alone.

And for all of Craig's "country strong, ten feet tall and bulletproof" toughness, there was a tenderness in the way he loved Leilani that belonged just to them.

To Craig, she was his "Baby, Baby, Baby." And whenever the phone rang or a message from Craig appeared, there was so often that familiar greeting: "Hey Sweetie..."

Those simple words became part of the language of their marriage ~ the ordinary, everyday expressions of love that, in his absence, have become anything but ordinary.

Craig knew how to enjoy life.

He loved his vehicles ~ the Porsche, his Chevy Silverado, his monster truck, the Ford Galaxie he was excited to restore, and especially the freedom of riding his Harley. He loved Auburn Tigers football and was a devoted New Orleans Saints fan, with a special admiration for Drew Brees. And he loved Mardi Gras, a celebration forever intertwined with his and Leilani's story.

Craig was also a country boy through and through. A skilled hunter, he loved to hunt on Bald Hill, the affectionate name the Hart family uses for the acres of family land in Alabama. It was more than a place to hunt. Bald Hill represented home, family, tradition and the Alabama roots Craig carried with him wherever life took him.

And Craig could sing.

A phenomenal singer who loved karaoke, he could take a microphone and turn an ordinary night into a memory. One of his favorite songs to sing was Kenny Chesney's "Tin Man," a song that those who heard him perform it may never hear quite the same way again.

More than anything, Craig loved people. He loved conversation, laughter, family and friendship. He had an openness about him that made strangers feel less like strangers and an ability to make people feel welcome simply by being himself.

Craig leaves behind his loving wife of ten years, Leilani; his sister, Patricia; his brother, Larry; his daughters, Amber (Kayla), Amanda (Aaron), Jazmin (Jake), and Tiare (Mark); his son, Mico (Erin); and his eight grandchildren, Joseph, Kayden, Malena, Zachery, Danny, Noah, Eli, and Liam.

He is also lovingly remembered by his aunts, Frances and Marie; his many beloved nieces and nephews; numerous cousins, in-laws and devoted friends; and his four-legged companions, Buddy and Scout. He was preceded in death by his parents, LD and Jeanette Hart, and his beloved dog, Max.

Craig was talented and accomplished, but those things alone could never explain why he mattered so much.

His legacy is found in people.

It is in the people who laughed harder because Craig was there. The people who knew they had someone in their corner. The family and friends who felt his loyalty, his protection and his love. It is in the stories that will continue to be told, the laughter that will still erupt when someone remembers something only Craig would have said or done, and the lives that are better because he was part of them.

The world could use more men like Craig.

Country strong.

Ten feet tall.

And, in the hearts of those who love him, bulletproof still.

A Celebration of Life honoring Stephen Craig Hart will be held Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Appleton First Assembly Church in Brewton, Alabama.