Loving, kind, generous, funny, loyal
Chris was nonjudgmental and never spoke ill of others. A friend to many, with a wide smile and natural ease made everyone around him comfortable. He loved fishing, bowling, and playing guitar. Food was a passion of his, so he was always trying new restaurants and getting creative in the kitchen at home. He was an amazing cook–although cleaning up after wasn’t his specialty. The mess was worth the incredible dishes.
Growing up, his mother, Tambra, and father Alonzo took Chris and his sisters, Whitney and Brianna, to the beach every summer vacation. The ocean soothed their worries and left such a deep impression that he continued the tradition with his own kids. Chris was close to his sisters. When she moved back to Georgia, he and Briana spent a lot of time together, frequently attending his kids’ sporting events. Being only a year apart, Chris and Whitney were close in their youth, and when she moved to Mississippi, they made special efforts to plan visits.
Chris never married, but he and his partner Adriana made a beautiful, blended family. Their family consisted of Adriana’s son Jason and Chris and Adriana’s children Elijah, Mackenzie, Cameron, and AJ. He couldn’t have loved her son Jason more if he were his own. Adriana and Chris shared a life together for over a decade and planned to marry one day.
A fun-loving father, he and the kids were always together at the park or playing pranks, playing ball, and riding bikes. Chris loved watching their sports games. He was proud of them and praised even their smallest accomplishments. He made them feel special on birthdays. Gardening together was a special treat, and they celebrated every vegetable and fruit they grew. The day his twins, Mackenzie and Elijah, were born, he was so excited. They were his first biological, and he walked into the waiting room grinning ear to ear, wanting to hold them and be near them constantly. He was like that after the birth of Cameron and AJ. Being a dad was his greatest accomplishment, and when in recovery, he never missed an event.
He worked hard to give them a better life and proudly provided for them. Chris was a fast learner, so he was constantly looking to better himself and earn more money for his family. For years he worked in landscaping, then he achieved his HVAC license and with it a more reliable income for his family. During the last nine months of his life, he worked as a custodian at the local middle school, where the school nominated him Employee of the Month by only his second month. He was overqualified, but his priority was always providing. Even bringing a laptop on vacation so he could apply for better jobs.
Chris maintained recovery fifteen months before his passing. During that time, he saw his mom almost every day, smiled constantly, and exuded joy, which his family captured in countless videos and pictures. They got some of the best shots when Tambra, Alonzo, and Chris took the kids to Disney. His family will always carry the memories from that day and all the small moments he made magical for the rest of their lives.
Chris’ mother, Tambra Patton, provided the information for this narrative.
February 14, 1990-May 24, 2025–Age 35
Portrait Artist: Jeremy Hebbel
Narrative Writer: Willow Kline
