BOISE, Idaho — It’s been one week since a hangar under construction near the Boise Airport collapsed, killing three men and critically injuring five others.
Among those killed in the collapse was 59-year-old Craig Durrant of Big D Builders. He worked in construction for as long as his daughter, Adrian, can remember.
“To me it was -- dad's the builder. Dad can get things done and he’ll do it right,” Adrian Durrant said. “He was the guy.” The guy Adrian could count on; approachable and supportive, whose open-hearted nature extended far beyond the confines of their home.
“He was a pillar, not just in our family. Anyone who would talk to him, work with him, you know. He would stop and chat in the grocery store, and anyone who spoke to him agreed that he was just a symbol of strength,” Durrant said. “Anytime you had a problem, you could go and talk to him. He was very approachable. He loved to talk. He was always my go-to person anytime. He was always there."
Durrant shared heartfelt memories of her father with Idaho News 6, remembered as an incredible cook, a centerpiece of the large Treasure Valley family, and a man who loved sunsets, Star Wars, and salsa dancing.
“He loved to come home and show me his latest satin shirt and he’d go, ‘Adrian, does this make my skin tone look bad?’” Adrian recalled. “I get really uncomfortable with dancing, and he would try to show me moves and I’d just go, 'I don’t need to see this right now!’”
Durrant saw her father regularly but didn’t know when they got together Sunday, January 28, that it would be the last time. Just three days later, Adrian got a phone call from her oldest brother that she’ll never forget.
“My brother said, ‘Adrian, you need to grab your things and you need to get to the house. And I’m still asking ‘why? what’s going on?’ and he goes, ‘Dad died,” Durrant said. “And of course, I didn’t believe him. I said, 'Are you joking? Is this a joke?’ and he goes, ‘Dad died.’”
The family gathered, leaning on each other for support, but the reality of the situation didn’t sink in for days.
"I’m a very vivid dreamer and so I just kept waiting and waiting to either wake up with my fiancé’s alarm going off or for Dad to come into the house with his heavy boots full of mud and go, ‘What’s everyone doing here!’” Durrant said. “And I just kept waiting and waiting and it just never happened."
RELATED | Big D Builders issues statement on hangar collapse
Durrant says what brought her father the most happiness was "his relationship with his Lord and Savior," and even through these challenging times, she tries to channel her dad's constant reminder to look for the good.
"If you asked him what he wanted for his birthday or Father's Day, all he would say was ‘happiness’ and I’m just holding onto that through all of this cause I know he would just be right over my shoulder going, 'Why are you freaking out about all this? Just be happy!' So that’s all we’re trying to do.”
OSHA is currently investigating what caused the collapse. It could be six months before we learn of their findings.
