Thomas “Craig” Derian, MD passed away on June 4, 2026 at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was 69 years old.

We lost a very special person that day.

Craig grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, during the height of the civil rights movement, and identified strongly with his parents’ commitment to equality, justice, and social responsibility. His mother was a civil and human rights activist and a political firebrand. His father served as Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Mississippi, where he championed hospital desegregation and equal access to care.

Craig earned his bachelor's degree at Vanderbilt University, studied medicine at the University of Mississippi, and completed his training in orthopaedic surgery at University of Texas Southwestern. He was the first fellow trained by Dr. David K. Selby, a pioneering spine surgeon and renowned clinical educator.

An exceptionally talented surgeon, mentor, and medical expert in his own right, Craig had a gift for connecting with his patients on a profoundly human level. He was also a skilled diagnostician who relished the challenge of puzzling out complex medical problems.

As much as he loved medicine - and Craig really loved medicine - family and friends were his greatest source of joy. He adored being a husband and father, and fought to live long enough to meet his first grandchild, Colby Mae, born on May 17, 2026.

Craig was joyous, affable, very funny, extremely brave, and singularly brilliant. He knew something about nearly everything, and what he didn’t know he was eager to learn and share. He also had that glorious ability to take genuine pleasure in the accomplishments of others. His generous spirit was one of his superpowers.

Craig met life’s biggest challenges with optimism, good humor, and grit. He also found joy in the little things: cherry pie and ice cream … driving a fast car on back country roads … finding a baby frog in the water garden … sharing breakfast with his adoring dog.

We will all miss him dearly, and hold him and his beautiful spirit in our hearts.

Craig is survived by his wife, Jennifer Strauss; children, Leslie Derian and John Thomas Derian (Brittany Derian); granddaughter, Colby Mae Derian; brother, Mike Derian (Margaret Atwell); and sister, Brooke Derian.

A celebration of life will be held later this summer. Date and venue TBD.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Craig's memory to one of these organizations, which Craig strongly supported:

Project Access of Durham County: projectaccessdurham.org. Please specify that the donation is in memory of Dr. Craig Derian. Questions can be directed to the organization at 919-213-4077.

WUNC: wunc.org. The online donation form includes a comment field where donors can indicate that the gift is in Craig Derian's memory. WUNC suggests that donors also send a follow-up email to confirm that the donation has been made in Craig Derian's memory at wunccares@wunc.org.