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Chris attended West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M), where he got his bachelors and met his future wife Tomi Longtin. They were both very involved in the TEXAS Outdoor Musical (currently in its 53rd season) at the Pioneer Amphitheater in the Palo Duro Canyon.
Chris completed his M.S. in Applied Gerontology at the University of North Texas. Life briefly brought them to Georgetown, Texas where Chris served as an Assistant Administrator at the non-profit, Methodist-based nursing and retirement community Wesleyan Homes. Chris then took an Executive Administrator and CEO position at Sears Memorial Methodist Center in Abilene, Texas, before returning to the Wesleyan in Georgetown in late 1989. He retired as President and CEO after 28 years, guiding the Wesleyan through the decades, expanding to include pioneering Alzheimer’s care and a state-of-the-art new campus for Retirement and Assisted Living, and bringing in new community ministries for Home Health and for Hospice care. His distinguished career was defined by service to an elder population increasingly underserved nationwide. His accomplishments and accolades demonstrate the positive impact he had on his peers, his profession, and most importantly to the vulnerable elderly community.
He retired early at the end of 2017 after a sudden cancer diagnosis and began to focus on treatment and rekindling old hobbies, such as crafting fine folk instruments. His last months were defined by his faith, positivity, and fellowship; and the grace he demonstrated during this time was and is an inspiration to all who knew and loved him.
