Christopher Sean Harris

To Christopher "Sean" Harris, the entire world was a stage. An expressive, optimistic, and uninhibited individual, he was a performer in the theater of life. To everyone around him, he seemed to be eternally happy, and he willingly shared that joy with anyone whose life he touched. For Chris, bringing out the best in any situation was as easy as offering a smile, a witty remark or the twinkle of an eye. And with just those simple gestures, he could evoke the most pleasant of emotions. Chris really mastered the art of living and had great fun in doing so.

Chris was born on November 21, 1979 at Madigan Hospital at Fort Lewis in Washington. His parents were Rob Harris and Sharla Lamken. Chris was raised in Seattle and Olympia, Washington. Even as a child, Chris had the ability to lift the spirits of all those around him. He was raised to be warm, caring and friendly. He couldn’t help but capture everyone’s attention with his beautiful smile and infectious laugh. He was definitely a little bit of a show off, but in doing so, he succeeded in entertaining his entire family. Growing up Chris enjoyed playing baseball, mastering video games, and loved doing tae kwon do.

Always a good playmate, Chris was easygoing and fun loving. He managed to lighten the mood wherever he was. He seemed to have a knack for bringing compromise and erasing tense situations. Due to a generous dose of common sense, Chris managed to find a satisfying solution to basic problems. Chris was raised with two siblings. He had one sister, Brianna Keeling, and one brother, Connor Keeling who he enjoyed caring for over the years.

When Chris started at Tumwater high school midyear he decided to change his name and go by Sean, his middle name, but failed to make his parents aware of that. He sometimes had an identity crisis and didn't know which name to give when someone asked. If you ask anyone who knew him from school they would tell you that Chris was a class “cut-up.” He didn’t do it to be unkind or to garner all the attention. Rather, Chris simply enjoyed others’ laughter and the sounds of his friends and acquaintances having a good time. He enjoyed hands-on learning and applying the “practical” approach to knowledge, rather than getting caught up in “theory.” Chris graduated from Tumwater High School in 1998. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was Spanish. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Senorita Weston.

Chris reveled in his college years, where his imagination could run free. He was viewed by many of his classmates as being a creative, artistic person. Chris was usually found at the center of things, whether it was during class or in extracurricular activities. He was a jovial person who loved to share his passion for fun with others. But for Chris, life was not a case of all play and no work. Chris relished the task of putting his imagination to work in class. He was able to discover new and different ways of answering problems and creating unusual and different solutions. His favorite part of college was the Culinary Program he completed.

Chris never actually encountered a stranger in his dealings with people. He was drawn to individuals and crowds, using his gregarious, adaptable and outgoing personality to captivate his audience. This quality allowed Chris to continually develop new relationships, ever widening his circle of friends. Chris delighted in his role among all his acquaintances, because he viewed them all as potential spectators for his performance. Whether it was a story, a joke, a song or just plain fooling around, Chris was always right at home putting on a show among his friends. Chris utilized his interest in others as a great way to connect with them. While growing up, some of his best friends were Steve Halloway, Joshua Daniels, Shawn Maxson, Elizabeth Gross, Chris and Tim Haukap. Later in life, he became good friends with Tony Ferrati. Chris loved sharing life and having his home filled with people he knew.

The gift of being emotionally expressive and outwardly affectionate made Chris very easy to approach. On October 29, 2007 Chris exchanged wedding vows with Sarah E. Jorgensen, his high school sweetheart, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada on their 11 year anniversary. He was always very caring and sensitive to other people’s feelings, and that was especially true in marriage. They just celebrated 19 years together

At work, as in life, Chris was a real “people person.” He had a very successful way of dealing effectively with others, and his enthusiasm and energy was often contagious. Chris liked to see himself as something of a virtuoso. When dealing with various projects and problems, Chris was an adaptable realist, using his common sense and trusting his experiences and impulses to uncover the correct answer. Chris's talent for being a down to earth thinker allowed many around him to see Chris as an excellent problem solver. His primary occupation was Chef and hospitality server.

Chris enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. One of his favorite pursuits was movies, at one time he wanted to be a film critic. He had seen almost every movie in English at Blockbuster and moved on to the foreign films with subtitles. He once watched 60 movies in 30 days, truly getting his worth out of his subscription of 2 movies every 24 hours. Some of his other great pleasures in life were eating, he also wanted to be a food critic and was once kicked out of an all-you-can-eat restaurant for eating too many plates of food. He loved cooking, he was known for his amazing steaks, music, lifting weights, skating, camping, traveling, snow boarding, scuba diving and skateboarding. Chris was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Living life in the fast lane suited Chris just fine. It is no surprise that he loved to travel and to visit new and different places. He was naturally curious about other parts of the world and loved the real life adventure that came from visiting them. He was impulsive and willing to try anything once. Favorite vacations included Miami Beach, Cozumel, Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Austin, Texas.

Chris was a lover of animals and cherished his pets, enjoying them as much as he enjoyed being around other people. Chris's favorites were Bonnie & Clyde, and Ty kitty. He also grew up with his cat Rusty that he had for 18 years. He was also a lover of rats and had two pet rats, the first one was named Rat and the second he had was named Whinney.

Chris passed away on December 10, 2015 at his Summit Lake home in Olympia, Washington. He is survived by his wife, Sarah; mother, Sharla; father, Rob; sister, Brianna; and brother, Connor. Services were held at Mills & Mills Funeral Home. Chris was laid to rest in Mills & Mills Memorial Park.

Chris brought joy to all of those around him. He never had a mean bone in his body. He loved to have a good time and was an eternal optimist, always looking on the bright side of things. He loved to share his energy, wit, and his zest for all of his activities with his friends and family. Christopher Sean Harris lived life to its fullest and made everyone around him happier just for knowing him. He will be remembered with a smile.