Firstborn of Gordon (Gord) and Roberta (Bert), Chris died in hospital in Vancouver on March 25, 2025, after complications from a heart attack. He was 72 years old.
Born in Toronto, Chris was raised in Meaford with his sister Mary Marg, and brothers Mike and Dave. A music fan with a natural sense of rhythm, he was the drummer in his high school band Stonehenge. Together with good pals Bob Wilson (deceased), Chuck Noble, Ab Major, and later Ken Weymouth, the band became a fixture at the local bars and ski hills during the ’70s.
Chris graduated from York University with a Masters in Industrial Relations, and spent many years as a trainer with Ontario Hydro before moving to Vancouver to work as a labour-management consultant. Thanks to clients in the forest industry, Chris got to fly into many remote areas of BC, and came to know the province well. A devoted naturopath (and that’s putting it mildly!) he would later follow in his mother’s footsteps, getting into the business of selling natural health products and supplements.
Chris was genuinely interested in the people he met. He was thoughtful and kind, and inquisitive without being judgemental. He loved a good conversation, and his many questions were aimed at getting to know people and making connections. Chris had a way of making you feel like you were the only one in the room, and if you were a friend of Chris, chances are you were a friend for life. He would remember your birthday, your kids’ names and your anniversary, even when you didn’t!
He loved his downtown English Bay condo with its spectacular view overlooking Stanley Park and Vancouver’s North Shore mountains, but Meaford called him home every summer, where reunions with friends, family, and his old bandmates made for many years of fond summer memories back on Georgian Bay.
Chris will be deeply missed by his partner Li and her daughter Coco, by siblings Mary Marg (Tony), Dave (Elizabeth), and Mike (Janice), as well as nephews Michael and Mark, nieces Jacqueline, Ally, and Claire; great-nieces Ara and Chloe, and great-nephews Harvey and Olin.
A Celebration of Life will be held later in the summer in Meaford. For those who would like to be notified of the celebration for Chris, feel free to reach out to mmcrapper@gmail.com
In the meantime, rest in peace Chris.
