Christopher David Wilson

March 9, 1960 - March 10, 2023

The man. The myth. The legend. Men wanted to be him, and women wanted to be with him…or at least that is what he liked everyone to think. Christopher David Wilson died on Friday, March 10, 2023, after choosing to exit this world, surrounded by loved ones, after a devastating stroke suddenly took away his ability to be himself. He would have rather died as a hero or in some way that made the headline news, but time ran out before he could orchestrate such a feat.

He was born to Eric Frederick and Mary Edith (Campbell) Wilson on March 9, 1960, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. From that moment on, those who knew him or loved him, were never the same. His sisters, Brenda & Cindy, and brother, Mike, were given a baby brother that loved to pull pranks, tell stories and explore the adventures he found in this world. He grew up in a Marine Corp family and lived in Kansas City, MO then again in Camp Lejeune, NC, before moving to southern California in the late 1960s. He lived in National City, CA before going to Poway, CA where he attended Poway High School.

As a young man, his focus was beautiful women and partying with his best friends, the late Larry LaFleur and Mr. Bill Mullett. In high school, he was an average student and gifted wrestler, reaching CIF state championships but ultimately felt he could learn so much more in the real world than from a classroom. He continued to teach himself about the world, universe, weather, nature and social constructs by reading biographies of interesting people, encyclopedias and scrolling the internet — especially to research facts that he could use to prove when he was right.

During his life, Chris worked many jobs including construction, press-printing, truck driving all over the country and finally, landing as a forklift operator in the warehouse at Guitar Center for the past 15 years where he enjoyed training people about safety and operations. He even picked up a side job with Door Dash just to keep himself busy. He just loved to drive. Whether it was in his car, truck, or motorcycle, being on the road and exploring his surroundings was peaceful to him.

He was great at storytelling, and you could be sure that at least 50% of his stories were true. You just never knew which parts. He also had many hobbies. Chris loved going to baseball games, watching the Royals or Padres on TV and if he had to miss the games, would check the scores online several times a day. He loved the Chiefs and Chargers. He rode his Harley every chance he got, did jigsaw puzzles as fast as anyone could imagine, built furniture by hand, liked working out to stay ‘young’, and especially enjoyed watching movies — his favorite was Tombstone or any action movies, but he loved to let his kids and grandkids watch scary movies with him, including Arachnophobia, Child’s Play, Jaws, Nightmare on Elm Street, Godzilla, Gremlins or anything that would make them jump as he laughed at them.

He loved to be outdoors and was good at catching wild snakes, tortoises, tarantulas, scorpions and insects that he could bring back to show friends because he loved to freak people out with his new ‘pets’. He loved all animals and had an uncanny way of bonding with any animal he ever came across. His favorite animal though was his companion cat, Handsome Kitty, that he had for the past 13 years, and the pair would often be seen taking walks together around the neighborhood. They were best buddies til the very end and Kitty was able to spend the last hours laying on Chris’ lap, giving him comfort before he passed away.

His handsome face and quirky personality attracted many people to him. He always knew how to make people laugh but deep down he was a homebody and loved to spend time with his daughter, Heather Marie and son, Lance Garrett. He was a fun-loving dad who taught them all about the ups and downs of life and made sure they knew they were loved and admired. They inherited his smart-ass attitude, sarcasm, humor and life skills, and often tried to out-do him but he made sure to challenge them in every way. Chris was a great father-in-law to Nolan and his soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Dallas. He made them feel every bit apart of the Wilson family as they are. He was very caring and nurturing to his 3 adorable grandchildren, Taylor, Jacob and Brydin. He spent many hours, days, years babysitting them and giving them whatever they wanted, usually to their parents’ chagrin but he couldn’t help himself because of the pride he felt for them. They all loved their ‘Papas’ more than words can say and will forever hold his memory in their hearts.

Chris is now exploring his next adventure on the other side surrounded by his mother, father, best-friend, many aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends and his dogs, Snow and Oreo. He is dearly missed on Earth by his daughter (Heather), son (Lance), granddaughter (Taylor), grandsons (Jacob & Brydin), sisters (Brenda & Cindy), brother (Mike), many nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws. He would want them to remember him by his witty sense of humor & laugh although he might be surprised by how much sorrow they feel with his loss. He will remain a legend to those who never got the privilege to meet him.