He was born and raised in Salem before joining the U.S. Navy during WWII. He moved to Corvallis in 1953, then to Portland in 1957. His career in journalism and public relations spanned 61 years. As a journalist, he was sports editor of the Salem Capital Journal and the Corvallis Gazette-Times and was a sports writer at The Oregonian.

Chris was an active member of West Hills Christian Church in Portland for 47 years, and for 25 years he presented Right to Life/Oregon’s Steward of Life award. He was a private pilot for many years and was known as a top-notch ground-school instructor. He attended every Oregon State Fair from 1927 to 2012.

Chris is survived by his devoted wife of 61 years, Mary; daughters Teri Kowitz-Betts and Lisa Nicholas; sons Ray, Norm, Tom, and John; 20 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and his sister, Mary Hande.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 1, 2012, at 3 p.m., at West Hills Christian Church, 3824 SW Troy Street, in the Multnomah neighborhood of Portland.

Paraphrasing what Chris once wrote about a loved one: The sorrow we feel over his death is overshadowed by the joy he brought to us in life.