Chris was the brilliant son of his parents in Bucarest,Romania, was an avid sailor and earned a degree inmicrobiology before moving to Ontario, Canada wherehe served as an IT expert for a large banking company.
He was also a fierce advocate for Democracy havingbeen raised in a Totalitarian country. While in Ontario,he observed the Wreck Beach battles to preserve notonly the beach, but the naturist life style there.
Thus, in1992, he re-located to Vancouver in order to help theWreck Beach Preservation Society (WBPS) in its effortsto save the beach physically from the many developmentthreats which included efforts to build a highway aroundPoint Grey and to ban nudity there, although one of theRCMP staffsergeants said that“trying to stopnudity at WreckBeach would havebeen like trying tostop the Titanicfrom sinking.
From 1992 to his death in 2021, Chris was a strongadvocate for the naturist life style and for preservingWreck Beach in as nearly a natural state as possible.
Chris served on many committees and workedassiduously with Judy Williams and the WBPS to lowerand alter the high rise student towers at UBC whichwould have destroyed the wilderness-like ambience ofWreck Beach had they been built as UBC originallyplanned!
Wreckers will perhaps best remember Chrisplaying dice in Billy’s “casino” wearing his trademarkTilly’s hat, listening to his music via headphones underhis blue umbrella.
Chris kept his battle with vertebralcancer private but he fought it quietly, with greatbravery. He was a smart, kind, loving and a close friendwho will be forever missed by Lisandre, Denise, Judy,and his Wreck Beach family. As requested, his asheswill be scattered at sea off Wreck Beach from GeoffGodding’s yacht on June 5, 2021.
LISTEN TO THE STILL(By Judy Williams for Chris ‘52nd Birthday)
Listen to the still when the tide is out low,The waves are quietly ebbing,The wind is softly sighing,And it will whisper secrets only you can hear.Listen to the still of early mornings, Of muted days when the sun just warms thegrey,When fog tendrils ghost over wet sandsWeekend crowds are far removed,And it will call to you.Listen to the still and it will weave you rainbowspells,Wrap you in gossamer wings,Sing you bird songs
And it will warm you as surely As the sun dissolves the fog.Listen to the still and years,And tears hence,It will enfold you as eternallyAs the sea…Years and Tears hence…Arms around you, Judy”Prepared by Judy and Denise
