Craven Alcott, a native Floridian, was born in Gainesville, FL on February 23, 1952. Craven moved with her husband Rob and son Jordan Reeves to Placerville, CA in 1989. She lived, worked, painted and played in Northern California for her final twenty-six years.

Craven was a talented artist, a wonderful cook, a Posh Squash gardener and beekeeper, an outdoor enthusiast, and above all, a kind-hearted person. Though her voice and laugh carried loudly, it was always gentle. She liked to read. She was stylish and liked to shop. She was generous and caring. When family or friend needed help, Craven was there for them. She loved animals. And she cherished her time outdoors with friends and family.

In both her work and her personal life, Craven was passionate about community and the environment, helping both people and animals. Earning a landscape architecture degree in 1974 from the University of Florida, Craven devoted her career to community design, planning and development. She began work in 1975 with the National Park Service to restore the Fredrick Douglas residence in Washington D.C.

Craven returned to Florida in 1977 to work for the City of Titusville. In 1979 she moved to Tallahassee where she held positions with the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Community Affairs. As an environmental planner with DCA she was a key player in the Governor Bob Graham administration working to preserve the Florida Keys. In 1986 she moved to Stuart FL after accepting a job with Palm Beach County. She became the Planning Director for the City of Stuart in 1987 and led the city’s effort to redevelop Stuart’s historic downtown.

Moving to Coloma, California in 1989 Craven served first as El Dorado County’s Planning Director, then its Parks and Recreation Director, and finally its General Services Director before retiring in 2005. Her most cherished accomplishments were the planning and development of Henningsen – Lotus River Park, Pioneer Park and the initial El Dorado Trail, the county’s first ‘rails to trails’ project. Her career work exemplifies her keen interest and passion for creating plans and projects that connect people to nature and community.

Most recently, she worked for the Sea Ranch Association to help steward its remarkable landscape. She retired from the Association in April 2015 widely recognized as a respected leader and community member who brought out the best in people.

Craven was a southern woman at heart. She loved the south and her accent tended to get thicker whenever she ‘fixed’ to talk about it. People who she encountered often remarked that she had one of the most positive outlooks of any one they had met. Her family called her ‘the bluebird of happiness’ because she could not help herself being forever positive, especially for those she knew needed it.

Art was a huge part of her life from early childhood and the creative exercise of her art brought her peace and wellbeing. While she painted with watercolors for many years, her move to Sea Ranch in 1989 propelled her to a whole new level of energy and creativity. She showed her art at the annual studio tour and several coastal venues and was touched by the warm and appreciative responses.

Craven will be remembered as being incredibly enthusiastic about life. She laughed often. She loved her many friends and they her joyous presence. She was active in every community she lived in. She wasn't strong in her verbal assertiveness in everyday life but she was very strong in her actions and involvement. She was modest and didn't brag about her many talents and accomplishments. She loved to travel. She studied art in Florence for college and went to Asia several times with her mom as a young adult. She enjoyed sailing the Caribbean, and riding horses. She was a yogi, a scuba diver and a dreamer. She didn't really care about TV. She never got on Facebook. She enjoyed making wine with friends. She loved the sun. The beach was her happy place.

She will be remembered by those fortunate enough to have known her for her grace, radiance and compassion.  She will be missed beyond words.