Christian William Harned

You could live a lifetime and never come across a soul that was like Christian. He was a mixture of wanderlust and a rock-solid foundation for the heaviest philosophical discussions imaginable. Christian was completely dichotomous in his childlike demeanor with his closest family members and the introverted philosopher with those he just met. Christian sought both people and situations that would stimulate an inquiring mind, which proved to bring great heartache in his life. It's a difficult world for dreamers.

Christian was born at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Fontana, California, to Jaymi Boswell and James Harned. He was raised in various cities in California, Oklahoma, Washington, Utah, and Nevada. His formative years were spent in Bremerton, Washington, where his curiosity for all things flourished. It is the place where his mind wandered to when reminiscing his childhood.

He was on a continual quest to seek knowledge. From the beginning, Christian showed an understanding of human nature that most adults find difficult recognizing in themselves and others. Christian's understanding of people allowed him to become the greatest big brother to his sister Hannah. As he was six-years-older than her, he was very protective of her which continued until the day he died. He sought to shield his sister from the hardships that he could not protect himself from and because of that they were inseparable. When his baby brother Benjamin was born in 2015, Christian told his mother that he could not believe another human being could make him love so much. Although Christian did not get to see them often, he very much loved his younger siblings Serena and Henry Harned.

Christian's love for learning was nurtured by his favorite 4th grade elementary school teacher Mrs. Sullivan. She saw in him what his family could see and encouraged his continued growth. Christian began reading books that high school kids lamented to find on their syllabus reading list. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's 1984 were two of Christian's favorite books that year which he read almost each year of his life.

School began to become a challenge nearing junior high when the struggle with what we were to later learn was his diagnosis of Schizophrenia. Because of the social and academic issues, Christian was homeschooled by his mother the remaining few years of high school and excelled in every subject. Christian recently attempted to take classes in air conditioning and refrigeration, but his Schizophrenia had become so cumbersome that he was unable to succeed at that level of instruction. This caused Christian great pain because our Christian had the drive and motivation of ten people. He wanted so much to succeed in life more than any other person causally living their banal lives. Christian had big dreams of attending college someday when things became easier for him. He fully believed that he would be able to control or contain the destruction that his diagnosis left on his mind.

Friends never came easy for Christian as he was an acquired taste socially. Christian said frankly what was on his mind, didn't understand sarcasm, and expected vulnerability and honesty in action and word from everyone. Christian could see the motivation of others and it made people feel uncomfortable in a world where wearing a mask is the norm. He could not betray his beliefs and would not show respect to those he felt were undeserving, but you had to be a bad person for Christian to have negative thoughts about you.

There were only a handful of people his own age and throughout his life that he could consider being a true friend. These people, even if life moved on and they did not speak any longer, left large impressions on who he was a person. He never forgot the good deeds of another. Christian was lonely for the comfort of a friend his age. Both his illness and his genius made it difficult for others to allow him into their lives, but he died seeking that missing connection with other humans romantically and platonically.

When Christian was a child he wanted to be a neurologist, but soon learned that school was difficult for him and it was beyond his capabilities. During his life he toyed with the idea of a Marijuana Farm, trade schools, and or owning a business so that he did not have to worry about the social aspects of work that he found difficulties in navigating. The reality of his career life was far less glamorous, but true to Christian he took great pride in each job he was hired to do. His longest job was holding a sign for a new housing area near his home. Each weekend he applied his sun screen, washed and pressed his "uniform", grabbed his backpack and worked his four hours holding the sign on the corner. His pride in earning a paycheck was contagious and everyone who loved him couldn't help but be just as proud as he was for a job well done.

The life of Christian was both busy and slow at the same time. His mind frantically went to and fro, but his body could not keep up with how quickly his mind worked. Christian's mind and body fought against each other continuously. Hobbies were few as Christian would rather spend time with family and friends speaking about various things rather than a fixed activity. The people in our neighborhood would argue that walking was his greatest hobby, as you would find Christian walking the same square block, donning his favorite headphones, every single day. Music and walking were a combination that brought peace to his troubled mind.

Christian's grandmother, Stephanie Boswell, and he attended Lone Mountain Calvary Chapel Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also attended various men's groups and other Bible studies with his grandmother through the church. Christian's beliefs were always an integral part of what made him who he was. His illness made it difficult at times for the voice of the Savior to be heard over the voices of his diagnosis and he struggled with finding his worth in Jesus Christ. Christian became a follower of Christ at the age of 10 and always had a great understanding of the Word of God.

On Christian's social media he stated that this Thanksgiving was the best he ever had, but tragically just one day after he walked out of his home and was never to be seen alive again. Although the entire community searched for him, it wasn't until December 1st, 2016, that his body was found. Christian could no longer take the suffering that we could never fully understand and took his own life. He leaves behind his mother Jaymi, his sister Hannah, his brother Benjamin, his grandmother Stephanie, and a community of loved ones who will forever miss him. His services will be a celebration of peace and a small consolation to those left behind knowing that our Chrish can finally be at peace. No longer will the confusion of the world and the meanness of others be on his heart. Chrish is now in the arms of our Lord and never again will he have to beg to be loved because he has become the very thing he sought his entire life-love in its original and most pure form.

Our baby, our boy, our TT.