Happy Birthday Chris. Miss you very much and I hope you are making tamales with mom, Aunt Luz, and Nana while listening to stories of Harshaw and Hardshell.
   Ron W.
 

Happy Birthday Chris. Make it a good one up there.

Aunt Chris was hands down one of my favorite people. Every holiday or family gathering I always asked my mom if Aunt Chris was going to be there because I so enjoyed her company and stories and the love and laughter she brought to any room. My favorite story is when my mom brought Aunt Chris to Costco after she moved back to Arizona and had never experienced that kind of bulk shopping and it blew her mind how you could buy so much of one thing. I remember thinking I want Aunt Chris to come everywhere with me because she makes everything more fun, even the most boring of tasks like running errands. This summer I got to introduce her to my boyfriend and one of the first things she told him was “there’s something you should know about me, I have a little problem with reality” We all laughed and agreed this was a good way to explain Aunt Chris. She was so loved and will be deeply missed. Her passing has been a tough one. So unexpected, I was not ready for her to leave us so soon. You will always be in our hearts. Love you so much. 

When I met you I instantly loved you, you were always so much fun to be around. I'm thankful to have known you and to have shared some really great laughs with you over the years. I will always be grateful to you for helping me many moons ago with your Holistic Medicine, your heart was so full of love. I'm beyond grateful my Mom put together that last River trip so my family has some great memories of you from that Vacation. Mike, Tayler & Mackenzie loved hanging out with you and hearing you and my Mom tell stories of the good ole days. Mostly we loved watching the two of you laugh. You will be missed by all of us. Rest In Peace Sweet Chris. 

I have been thinking and thinking, trying to decide what I want to share and what I want to keep for myself. You were one of the greatest story tellers I've ever known. It seems unreal that you aren't here to tell them anymore.  A few years ago, I came to visit Arizona, and got caught in a monsoon.  We sat at the kitchen table talking and waiting for the rain to let up.  It was during this conversation that I realized that you weren't just my aunt, you were my kindred spirit!  It was shocking to discover just how alike we were. We both have this little divot in our eyelash line. In yours, your eyelashes were missing. In mine, the eyelashes are shorter. We had a few of those little physical traits in common that we thought were funny and weird. But what was really shocking was the way we understood each other.  Ohhh Aunt Chris, you knew what I was thinking when I didn't want to say it. When Sergio and I fought an Elk in the middle of the Nevada desert and totaled our car, she knew that I was so sad that the Elk had died. We also shared an abnormal love for mayo, and we talked about it often.  The last year and half since I moved my family to Arizona, we have been so excited to share experiences with you.  Holidays, kids birthdays, work trips to Phoenix, or bunnysitting. I am so grateful for this last year and a half that we had with you.  You asked if you could be a grandmother to my kids.  You didn't have to ask, you already were.  You made a promise to my mom that you would be there for me. Mom thought that I would be going through some hard times after she passed, she was right. And you did, you were there for me and you kept your promise.  I owe you a lot of thanks.  Thank you for loving me and looking out for me.  Thank you for loving my children so much.  Thank you for calling my husband (in a loving way) Ruben.  Im pretty sure you started calling him that because you couldn't remember his name, but we loved it. Thank you for your sudden bursts of laughter. Thank you for telling my kids that you were a witch and that you liked to eat scabs. Because that is who you were! There was so much we still wanted to do.  Things that we had planned for the future. More life experiences to share. I wasn't ready for you to go, but I know that it isn't something I'm allowed to decide.  I miss you, we miss you, our Great Aunt Chris...….my kindred spirit.

I went to Navy boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, so Chris attended my graduation. Afterwards we went to dinner then her and Skip's house. Johnny was just a baby, so she had to take picture after picture of Johnny on my lap and a few of just me in uniform. After awhile I was amazed at how much film the camera held. Well, she had forgotten to put film in the camera all together.