W. Craig Hottenstein, 75, of Shippensburg, PA, died on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at his residence, surrounded by his close friends, Dixie and Bob Parr.
Born in Lebanon, PA, on Feb. 6, 1951, he was a son of the late Walter and Annabelle (Krum) Hottenstein. A 1969 graduate of ELCO High School, he played varsity soccer, basketball, and tennis, earning nine letters. Craig was the Co. Captain of the soccer and basketball teams his senior year. His team won the District #3 soccer title in 1968, with Craig as the goalkeeper. He was the senior class president and participated in school musicals and the chorus. Upon graduating from high school, he attended Shippensburg State Teachers College, graduating with a B.S. in Secondary Education in 1973. While attending college, he was a four-year starter in goal for the Shippensburg Men’s Soccer Team and captain in his senior year. The team was Co-Champs of PSAC soccer in 1971.
In 1973, he was hired by the Mifflin County School District, Rothrock Campus, as a social studies teacher and head soccer coach. He taught senior high from 1973 to 1977.
Craig returned to Shippensburg State from 1977 to 1979 to work on his master’s degree in communications. While at “Ship,” he was the assistant soccer coach in 1977 and interim head coach in 1978. As head coach, Ship lost to Lock Haven for the PSAC Championship via penalty kicks. The team finished the season with a record of 8-6.
In 2013, Craig was inducted into the Shippensburg University Athletics Hall of Fame for soccer. He was the starting goalkeeper from 1969 to 1972. During those four years, the team never had a losing season and compiled a winning record of 30-13-5, with six of the losses coming at the hands of Penn State, Phila Textile, St. Joe’s, and Villanova.
From 1979 to 2013, Craig worked at Maxie’s bar in Shippensburg as a bartender, then manager, and finally purchased the business from close friends, Ruben and Louise Shaeffer, in 1984.
After retiring from Maxie’s, he worked part-time from 2014 to 2020 at Luhr’s Performing Arts Center as part of the stage crew under Bob Shirk and also operated the service bar during the many shows throughout the year. He was a social member of the American Legion, Shippensburg.
Craig’s present hobbies included working on small projects around the house, going to auctions, listening to music, specifically Motown, R&B, singers, and standards, drum corps, big bands, etc., watching sports, collecting coins and paper money, reading WWII articles, watching the History Channel, and playing with his cat.
Craig is survived by his sisters, Sally J. Kulp (Jose Cruz), of Myerstown, PA, Kathy J., wife of Robert “Bob” Geibler, of Plano, TX, and Marge A., wife of the late John Cummings, of Lebanon, NH; brother, John C. Hottenstein, of Myerstown; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 11 a.m., at Grose Funeral Home, 358 W. Washington Ave., Myerstown, PA, with a viewing beginning at 10 a.m. Interment will be held at Mount Hope Cemetery, Myerstown.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Lebanon County, 150 N. Ramona Road, Myerstown, PA 17067.Â
