Christopher Charles Watson, 31, died July 2, 2015 from injuries suffered in a bicycle/car accident in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Chris was born January 23, 1984 in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he grew up playing soccer, swimming, diving and becoming an accomplished drummer in his high school marching band. He graduated from Los Alamos High School in 2002.
Before graduating from the University of New Mexico, he spent half a year living in Buenos Aires, Argentina and exploring South America while becoming fluent in Spanish.
He loved spending time in the mountains and joined his brother David in Utah about five years ago, where he became a snowboarding instructor at Solitude Mountain Resort and a server at Desert Edge Pub and Brewery. His many interests included golf, skateboarding, music and his two adopted cats.
Chris cared deeply for his friends and family, especially his nieces Abby Brown and Imogen Watson. He brought out the best in people and left a mark on every life he touched.
He is survived by his parents, William and Elaine Watson of Los Alamos, NM; and his sister Kitty Brown (Chris) of Fort Collins, CO; and brother David Watson (Lindsay) of Salt Lake City.
He is also survived by his paternal grandmother Olga "Kitty" Watson of Troy, TX; aunts Peggy Goodnight (Don) of Belton, TX; Nancy Hanson (Ron) of San Antonio, TX; and Jane Solari of Los Alamos, NM.
He is also survived by cousins Casey Rhea (Jason) of Temple, TX; Marcus Goodnight (Lindsey) of Belton, TX; Michael Hanson (Hilary) of San Antonio, TX.
He is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents and paternal grandfather.
A memorial and celebration of his life will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, July 10, at Storm Mountain Amphitheater in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Parking is limited, so please carpool if possible.
To get there from Interstate 215, take the 6200 South exit and travel a mile east to Wasatch Blvd. Take Wasatch Blvd a mile south to junction with Big Cottonwood Canyon/Highway 190. Turn left at the junction and travel 2.8 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon to the picnic area.
A service will also be held in his hometown of Los Alamos, NM. Details will be announced at a later date.
