Christopher John Chandler

On September 15, 2025, Christopher John Chandler passed away peacefully, surrounded by love. Chris was blessed with a rich and full life, and felt that his defining influences were his parents’ gift of music and education, being fired from his first job after only two days as the slowest dishwasher, four years in the army reserve as an infantry medic, a year living in Banff writing music for a theatre group, surviving residency training at Shock/Trauma Centre in Baltimore, and backpacking around the world with his daughters.

Chris always felt privileged to have been able to learn and work as a physician. He was the first doctor to graduate from the Emergency Medicine Residency program in Saskatchewan, which he helped to pioneer. After completing his training, his only desire was to be in the north. He found his beloved community of Ile-a-la Crosse, Saskatchewan, where he finally felt at home and built his first home. His work there involved long and challenging hours, delivering babies in bush planes, flying over the boreal forest to hold clinics in remote communities, and scary nights flying ill patients south to the city. Chris deeply loved his work and being a part of this incredible community for 16 years -- which he always credited with gently rubbing off a lot of the rough edges of his youth. He also treasured the communities he later worked in - Smithers and Hazelton, BC.

No one in his family could explain his constant drive to be in the beauty of wilderness, but Chris was lucky to have spent much of his life in some of the most beautiful wild areas of the country -- endlessly exploring the Churchill River on skis and in boats; rafting and fly fishing on his beloved Kispiox River; hiking the Rockies and Coast Mountains; kayaking Haida Gwaii and the pacific north west; snow kiting northern lakes; surfing Tofino; and backcountry skiing the Coast Mountains, Selkirks and Roger’s Pass. Chris felt most at peace in these places, yet he also could have gladly spent every waking moment on his sailboat in the wind. But dearest to him were his annual summer kayak trips to northern wilderness rivers with his friends.

There was hardly a day that went by in his life that Chris wasn’t creating music, whether on the banjo, guitar, ukulele, or most importantly his piano. Music was a constant companion that never failed him, even in his darkest days through his battle with cancer. From his love of music came so many wonderful gifts, but most cherished was his lifelong friendship of laughter, adventure, kinship, and music, with his best friend of 32 years, Shane Reoch.

Chris leaves behind two deeply adored daughters, Jenna and Claire. From their first moments, Chris was a smitten father. It was impossible to be around Chris without experiencing his deep love and pride for his two daughters. They camped, canoed, hiked, skied and surfed together. They sang, shared photography, travelled and backpacked around the world. But most importantly, they laughed and cherished each day in each other’s company.

In addition to his beloved daughters, Chris is survived and dearly missed by his loving parents Jean and David, his older sister Melanie, and his younger sisters Kathy (James) and Brenda, as well as his nieces, nephews and extended family members. Chris often expressed that being raised in such a nurturing home was his life’s greatest stroke of luck. His younger sisters Kathy and Brenda endured his endless teasing but nonetheless loved and cared for him through his hardest days, repeatedly cleaning his filthy microwave and so much more. Julia Baum and her son Harrison brought new joy when he moved to Victoria, and with broken hearts held his hand and accompanied him through his diagnosis, treatment and illness.

Chris lived each day fearlessly and with adventure, built on the security and foundation of his family and those who cared deeply for him. Chris smiled easily, laughed a lot, exaggerated too much, tried hard, cared deeply, and told terrible jokes. He adventured and loved life as if he knew he would never have quite enough time. He would marvel at where the divine wind had taken him, and all the beauty that had befallen him. And for that he lived eternally grateful.

His absence leaves a space that can never be filled, but his memory will live on in all who knew and loved him.

In keeping with Chris’s wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service. To honour Chris’s generous spirit and dedication to helping others, his family invites you to support a cause close to your heart.