Chris's Funeral

 My cousin Chris passed away last month.

Christopher James Kidder

JULY 8, 1980 – OCTOBER 3, 2021

Christopher James Kidder, the funniest, most quick-witted guy anyone could know has left the building!

He made his departure from this earth on Sunday, October 3, 2021, marking the end of a hard fought battle with addiction. Chris was just 41, but those 41 years impacted his loved ones with a force. Survived by his parents, Don and Pam Kidder and his three sisters, Dawn (Robert), Deanna (Ward) and Lindsey (Mark), he has left his family with both full and broken hearts. July 8th, 1980, was the day the Kidder family had been waiting for…. a baby boy had finally arrived! Christopher was a beautiful baby with the sweetest temperament who grew into the fun kid who loved to dance, swim and hang out with his sisters. Chris was the center of his sisters’ universe. After high school, Chris attended the University of Utah, where he excelled in writing and worked with elderly and disabled individuals whom he deeply cared for. He later went on to establish a career in HR at Neiman Marcus. Wherever he went in life, Chris had the ability to draw people in. People loved Chris! And he loved people back; especially all his nieces and nephews, Shayne, Gaven, Rob, Clay, Molly, Noah, Blake, Jack, Jamie, Payton and Miles adored their uncle. It is truly a blessing that he got to be a part of their lives and leave his mark. They will carry his beautiful and sarcastic spirit with them forever!

Oh, and last but not least is Lola, Chris’s beloved cat. Chris loved Lola!

I loved being around Chris. He and Al were always best friends, and I would love it whenever I got to hang out with them. I would laugh so much any time they were around.

Chris moved to Utah to attend college, first at UVSC and then at University of Utah. It was so fun to have him live so close for a few years. He would come to our family parties and hang out with us on weekends.

Chris had such a quick wit that drew everyone to him. He was so nice and made you feel comfortable immediately. I didn't feel like the little sister/cousin tagging along with him and Al when he lived close by. He was very easy to talk to and seriously just kept us all laughing every time he was around.

His funeral was at the same time that my siblings and I had planned to be in Mexico, but we all wanted to be at his funeral and celebrate his life and so we changed plans and pushed back the Mexico trip a few days. I'm so glad I was able to be there and mourn and reminisce and celebrate with the Kidder and Hawkins family. His family did a great job of making his funeral something he would approve of. It was beautiful to hear all the memories and love expressed for Chris. His absence will truly be felt.

Deanna hosted a Celebration of Life at her house following the funeral. It was great to spend a few hours visiting with the family, watching a picture tribute of Chris, and expressing love to the Kidder family.