Obituary
October 14, 2020
Chris grew up in El Cerrito and attended a Quaker boarding school
in Nevada City, California. After being drafted in 1971, Chris attained
Conscientious Objector status and completed his alternative service with Planned
Parenthood, where he started out delivering contraception to all Bay Area
locations. On weekends, he played handball with the residents of San Quentin or
backpacked the remote Sierra Nevada wilderness. Chris attempted to thru-hike
Pacific Crest Trail in 1977 – but was foiled after 500 miles by an unexpected May blizzard
in the high Sierra.
Chris continued to work at Planned Parenthood for several years before completing his MBA at Golden Gate University. He was hired immediately by Xerox, but over time became frustrated with the ethos of Corporate America and quit to start his own reprographics firm in fledging Silicon Valley. After selling his company, Chris worked for the national Sierra Club where he restructured finances, labor models, and administration in order to lower overhead. As a result of his work, the Club was empowered to direct more resources toward environmental protection campaigns nationwide. This type of work would become the defining commodity of his career working with tech startups, institutions of higher education, and non-profits over the next 25 years.
After moving to Montara in 1991, Chris left the Sierra Club to serve as chairman of the Tunnel Initiative and, later, Measure T. He was instrumental in stopping CalTrans’s proposed bypass from scarring Montara Mountain and fundamentally altering the landscape and population of the Coastside. He also served for many years on the boards of the Montara Water and Sanitary District and Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside – which earned him the superhero moniker “Sewer Man” from his young daughters. In 2008, Chris moved to Reno, Nevada temporarily to serve as a precinct leader for Barack Obama's presidential campaign and helped to win that state for our first black president.
Chris and his wife, Suzanne Stephanik, raised two children and four dogs in the back of Montara, adjacent to what is now part of the GGNRA. His passion for the outdoors took Chris to 30+ national parks as well as countless state parks, national wilderness areas, and national forests. By example, and through many camping trips, he passed a love of wild lands and an ethos emphasizing environmental preservation to his daughters.
In retirement, Chris discovered a love of beekeeping and devoted himself to his “girls”. His belief in cooperative labor solutions was cemented by his observations of the bees, who seamlessly work together for the good of all. Chris continued to hike Montara Mountain regularly – at increasingly fast clips – to take in the beauty of the natural world. Fellow regulars on the mountain would often spot him, jars of honey in hand for friends and strangers alike, marching to the summit with his faithful yellow Labradors.
Like the Quakers who educated him, Chris believed passionately in working for just causes, in the equality of all people, and in peace. Those who wish to honor his memory may make a donation in his name to the American Friends Service Committee, the National Parks Foundation, or the Sierra Club.
Chris continued to work at Planned Parenthood for several years before completing his MBA at Golden Gate University. He was hired immediately by Xerox, but over time became frustrated with the ethos of Corporate America and quit to start his own reprographics firm in fledging Silicon Valley. After selling his company, Chris worked for the national Sierra Club where he restructured finances, labor models, and administration in order to lower overhead. As a result of his work, the Club was empowered to direct more resources toward environmental protection campaigns nationwide. This type of work would become the defining commodity of his career working with tech startups, institutions of higher education, and non-profits over the next 25 years.
After moving to Montara in 1991, Chris left the Sierra Club to serve as chairman of the Tunnel Initiative and, later, Measure T. He was instrumental in stopping CalTrans’s proposed bypass from scarring Montara Mountain and fundamentally altering the landscape and population of the Coastside. He also served for many years on the boards of the Montara Water and Sanitary District and Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside – which earned him the superhero moniker “Sewer Man” from his young daughters. In 2008, Chris moved to Reno, Nevada temporarily to serve as a precinct leader for Barack Obama's presidential campaign and helped to win that state for our first black president.
Chris and his wife, Suzanne Stephanik, raised two children and four dogs in the back of Montara, adjacent to what is now part of the GGNRA. His passion for the outdoors took Chris to 30+ national parks as well as countless state parks, national wilderness areas, and national forests. By example, and through many camping trips, he passed a love of wild lands and an ethos emphasizing environmental preservation to his daughters.
In retirement, Chris discovered a love of beekeeping and devoted himself to his “girls”. His belief in cooperative labor solutions was cemented by his observations of the bees, who seamlessly work together for the good of all. Chris continued to hike Montara Mountain regularly – at increasingly fast clips – to take in the beauty of the natural world. Fellow regulars on the mountain would often spot him, jars of honey in hand for friends and strangers alike, marching to the summit with his faithful yellow Labradors.
Like the Quakers who educated him, Chris believed passionately in working for just causes, in the equality of all people, and in peace. Those who wish to honor his memory may make a donation in his name to the American Friends Service Committee, the National Parks Foundation, or the Sierra Club.