One year ago, Scotty Craig went out to Lake Thurmond to fish and never came back.

The avid fisherman died in a boating accident on Jan. 22, 2011. His body was not found until a month later.

Now, his family would like to honor his memory with an event to be held at the South Carolina Visitors Center located at Lake Thurmond, where Craig died.

According to Craig's widow, Sandie, the celebration of Scotty's life is set for this Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. and will include several facets - a brief prayer service, special music (including a song by his daughter), a chance for those attending to say something in memory of Scotty Craig and an opportunity to donate toward a memorial fishing tournament to be held for the first time this May. There will be refreshments served as well.

Sandie said, first and foremost, she and her family want to say "thank you" to the community and to the Georgia and South Carolina officials who helped bring closure to the family with the recovery of her husband's body.

She explained that the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and its Georgia counterpart went above and beyond the call of duty in the search for her husband. Sandie said the January water at Lake Thurmond was so cold, yet officials on both sides of the river went out multiple times in sonar boats, and divers went in the water over and over again - "They could only stay 20 minutes at the time," she said.

During that time, she said DNR lead investigator Ben Thomas called her every day and kept her apprised of any progress they were making in the search.

"He was so kind," she said.

In fact, the day her husband's body was found, Thomas was among those gathered for the funeral of Craig's Uncle Bobby, one of the many family members he had gotten to know during the month Scotty Craig was missing.

Sandie Craig said that Uncle Bobby had assured her they would find Scotty "before I go home." Less than a month later, the uncle had died. Sandie added, "They found Scotty as we were going to the gravesite after Uncle Bobby's funeral."

The widow said she's hopeful that the planned fishing tournament in her husband's honor will be an annual event designed to help others in the situation she found herself in last year.

"Either to raise money for DNR divers or ... to donate to a family, ... to give them somewhere to stay, if needed ..." Sandie Craig said, noting that some families never have the closure that comes with finding their loved one.

During the event, folks will be able to donate money toward the tournament and receive a T-shirt or a bracelet in memory of Scotty Craig.

Sandie Craig said her husband loved riding his Harley, so the family is working on a memorial bike ride as well. Bikers are asked to meet at Pollard's Corner (Ga.) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and ride to the visitors center.

In addition to honoring Scotty Craig's memory, Sandie Craig said she wants to get the message out about boating safety. She explained her husband was supposed to go fishing with a couple of buddies, but when they couldn't go, he decided to go anyway.

"He was such an outdoorsman," she said, adding the waters were choppy that day, which authorities think might have been a factor in whatever happened to the fisherman.

"I want people to realize they need to listen when there's a lake advisory," said Sandie Craig, who admitted there was a lake advisory on the day her husband died. "They're (the advisories) there for a reason," she said.

"Nobody wants to let Scotty go," said the still-grieving widow, who added his granddaughter doesn't understand why she can't see her grandpa again.

The memorial, Craig said, will give all his friends and family a chance to honor Scotty's memory and will give her a chance to give back to the community in appreciation for all that local folks have done for her.

The entrance to the visitors center is located on the north side of U.S. 221, east of the dam on the South Carolina side of Lake Thurmond.