Christopher Austin Ortega

When Christopher Austin Ortega walked into the room it became illuminated, those in his company felt his positive energy. He was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Christopher wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. He was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

Christopher was born on February 5, 1991 at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California. He was the son of his proud parents Dan and Karen Ortega, and little brother of Daniel Adam. Christopher was raised in Chula Vista, California.

As a young boy, Christopher was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Christopher was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Christopher enjoyed baseball, basketball, football, skateboarding, rollerblading, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, but most important to him was soccer. He actively participated in various scholastic achievement groups as well as soccer clubs. In his spare time he liked to read, draw, paint, play video games, and most important to him was anything that involved his older brother. Christopher's memorable achievements include earning numerous awards at Silver Wing Elementary School, the Masonic Award at Arroyo Vista Elementary School, being one of the honorary students selected for the "golden shovel" groundbreaking for the construction of Eastlake Middle School, California State Soccer Champion, Western Regional Soccer Champion, Cal South Olympic Developmental Soccer Player, Region IV Soccer Player and US Youth National Soccer Team Player.

During his high school years, Christopher responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. He graduated from Eastlake High School in 2009 earning the California Scholarship Federation Lifetime Award. Christopher was a very good student, and excelled in all his courses. Christopher absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments, while balancing his club soccer regimen. Classmates considered Christopher a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to him to discuss just about anything. In addition to being know as a phenomenal scholar-athlete, he will be remembered by classmates for his smile, sense of humor, and love he projected to everyone around him.

Christopher did well in college, as a result of his comfort level with tackling new theories and his love of learning. He studied Media Studies and Social Welfare during his time at UC Berkeley. Christopher's greatest accomplishment at UC Berkeley was playing on the Men's Soccer team and competing in the Pac-12 Conference, 2010 NCAA Pac-12 Champion and 2010 NCAA Elite Eight Finalist.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily, which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, Christopher was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Christopher was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made numerous friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Adam & Angel Gonzalez (The Three Amigos), Bryce Taitano, Randall Williams and many, many, many more including teammates that shared the field with him, classmates from school, and friends he met along the way. Later in life, he continued his relationships with those close to him and that shared the field with him at the Barca Academy.

Christopher was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was a Youth Soccer Coach. He was employed by the Barca Academy for the past 3 years. Christopher was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. He had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Christopher's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor. Christopher was so enthusiastic about seeing the progression of the players he taught. He reveled in their growth and love for the game that he held so near to his heart. His happiest days were always on the pitch.

Christopher derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Recreational sports included snowboarding, golfing, jogging, racquetball, and soccer. He also enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were football, NCAA collegiate sports and most importantly soccer.

Christopher's love of improvising in his daily life was a perfect fit for his enjoyment of traveling. His favorite vacations included trips to Disney World, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Cancun, Cabo, Utah and Mammoth but most importantly the numerous trips he took with his family and teams for soccer games, tournaments and championships.

Christopher was a lover of animals and cherished his pets, Einstein and Mozart, both Pomeranians.

Christopher Ortega passed away on May 29, 2020 in his home in Chula Vista, California. He bravely fought an unexpected, painful infection that rapidly overtook his life. He is survived by his father Dan, his mother Karen, his brother Daniel, his sister-in-law Monica and his nephew Andre. Services were held at Corpus Christi Catholic Church.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Christopher. He was a dynamic, self-expressive, brilliant person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Christopher Ortega for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Christopher was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones. He will be forever missed, loved, honored and cherished by all who love him so dearly