11/26/1968-12/31/2019
Born on a snowy night in Pennsylvania on November 26, 1968, Patrick Christien Murawski (“Christien”) passed away on December 31, 2019 in sunny California at the too young age of 51.
X. Xtien. Fletcher. Dingus. Bubba. P.Christien. Christien. Dad.
Christien was known by a multitude of nicknames. No matter what he was called, Christien Murawski made an impact. With his intense eyes, sharp and sarcastic wit, robust vocabulary, encyclopedic knowledge of movies, and quiet intelligence, Christien was frequently referred to as “one of the smartest and funniest people” anyone had ever met. He could out movie-quote anyone and was well-read across a variety of genres. If you knew Christien, you would also know that his favorite nickname of them all was “Dad” (aka “Daddio”) by his son Kiernan.
Though born in Pennsylvania, Christien was raised in both Virginia and Colorado. He lived at times with his mother and step-father, Linda and John Hutchinson of Seaford VA, and with his father and step-mother, Patrick and Sandi Murawski of Gloucester VA. Completely beloved by both his siblings, he was “Bubba” to his sister, Hope Hutchinson Harris, and “Bro” to his brother, Mason Murawski. Unfortunately, Christien wasn’t able to meet his new niece, Tessa Harris, but we love the idea that he would have been “Uncle Bubba.”
Christien graduated from York HS in York VA in 1987. In high school he was an Honors student, a movie reviewer, & active member in drama, starring in many plays. He even, to his later chagrin & the great amusement of his friends, was part of a mime troupe! Christien attended The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg VA from 1987 to his graduation in 1991 with a BA in Theater. An excellent singer, dancer, actor, and writer, Christien was very active in theater & was the lead in many plays at W&M. Because it is every college student’s right to embarrass his mother, in Xtien’s final play (“A Lie of the Mind”) he played the lead role entirely in his underwear!
After college, Christien spent two years in New York City with the goal of breaking into acting. As all aspiring actors know, that translated into a lot of part-time work. During this time, Christien met Wendy Weichel, his mother’s co-teacher in Virginia; they fell in love, and Christien returned to Virginia to be with her. Back home, Christien waited tables and worked on his first novel (“Sharp”).
In 1995, Christien and Wendy decided to move to Los Angeles, where Xtien could pursue his dream of acting and Wendy could continue as a teacher. While auditioning, acting, and writing, Christien also spent a year as a long-term substitute teacher at John Burroughs High School. He acted in plays throughout Los Angeles and especially enjoyed performing at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, where he made many good friends. During this time, Christien also continued to work on his second novel (“The Darkness Continent”) as well as myriad short stories and even a screenplay. In addition, Christien was a barista at Starbucks, making a name for himself as an excellent trainer and star barista.
In 2001, Christien married Wendy and in 2004, they welcomed their son, Kiernan Patrick Murawski, to the world. Once Kiernan was born, he became the focus of Christien’s universe. Christien chose to be a stay-at-home dad as Wendy’s career was taking off. From the Infant-Toddler program at California State University Northridge (CSUN), to the CHIME Pre-School, Elementary and Middle Schools, to BOCA soccer games, Christien was often seen attending Kiernan’s events. He was a devoted father and truly enjoyed spending time with his son. Truly enjoyed it.
In 2008, Christien started going weekly to his friend Tom Chick’s Shoot Club. “The first rule of Shoot Club is not to talk about Shoot Club.” Shoot Club was a gaming forum for Christien and his friends to get together weekly to play various video, console, and boardgames. Many of his closest friends were a result of this weekly male get-together.
Two years later, Christien was asked by Tom to co-host a movie review podcast. The movie podcast was hosted on the website, Quarter to Three (www.qt3.com). The podcast allowed Xtien to showcase his incredible knowledge of, and passion for, movies. Hundreds of listeners benefitted by hearing Xtien and his two co-hosts, Tom Chick and Kelly Wand, banter about a particular movie each week. The podcast was truly a passion of Christien’s and he would prepare for it in depth all week long.
In 2013, Christien and Wendy divorced, but agreed to always co-parent in the way they had prior to the divorce. They remained close, focused on raising Kiernan in a consistent, supportive, and loving manner. Though Kiernan continued to be Christien’s primary focus, he started a third novel (“Breaking Earth”) and continued working with Quarter to Three, doing the weekly movie podcast and multiple blog threads. For his last few years, Christien dated Alexandra Holloway, who shared his love of movies, letter-writing, space, and gaming.
Christien was an amazing writer and many of his friends were the beneficiary of his love of letter-writing. He was known for sending postcards as well. He enjoyed the lost art of writing with a fine-nibbed pen and different colors of ink. He did not like to talk on the phone at length. He wore holey jeans and t-shirts with JPL or movies on them. He was interested in space and Cassini was his favorite spacecraft. He loved walking and spending time with his dog, Honey. Dark forest green was his favorite color and he loved sushi. He was teaching himself acoustic guitar. He researched everything, sometimes ad nauseum. He was a procrastinator. He liked women in hats. He didn’t have any tattoos, but if he had gotten one, it would have been of Calvin & Hobbes dancing. He kept journal notes on every movie he watched or book he read. He preferred not to talk about a movie right after seeing it, preferring instead to reflect on what he just saw in order to decide if he liked it or not. He would put his fingers in his ears and shut his eyes during movie trailers to avoid any potential spoilers. He had intense eyes and knew how to use them so the person he was talking to would think that they were the only person he cared about at that moment, and that he was truly, actively listening to them. His favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. He loved to cook. He liked to dress like characters from the movie Reservoir Dogs for Halloween. He was an excellent teacher and his students, from elementary to high school, really liked him. He connected well with children. He snored. He loved playing board games with his friends. He listened to a wide variety of music genres, but he always especially liked The Police. And he really, really, really liked to watch movies.
The only thing that eclipsed movies for Christien (by a long shot) was his son, Kiernan Patrick Murawski. When Kiernan was young, Christien would take him to Trader Joe’s and they would spend time trying to find the hidden monkey. He loved to read with Kiernan. He took him to school and to soccer games. He was a stay-at-home dad for Kiernan for much of his life. He loved taking Kiernan to the park to play and kick the soccer ball around. He would spend hours watching Kiernan play FIFA and commenting on the various goals Kiernan scored. He would watch Kiernan play trumpet and encourage him, providing various insights into how to improve. Christien enjoyed playing the game Ascension with Kiernan. A great singer, he would belt out songs in the car with Kiernan. They especially liked doing a duet of Hootie & the Blowfish’s “Hold My Hand.” Spending time with Kiernan was the one thing that made Christien the most really and truly happy. He loved and was so proud of his boy.
Upon hearing of Christien’s untimely passing, so many people have reached out expressing their shock and love. They frequently mention how much Kiernan meant to Xtien and how thoughtful Christien was. One friend wrote, “He took the time to write to my boys at camp when they needed extra love and mail – they still have the Star Wars postcards he sent them. He didn’t have to do that, but he did.” Another wrote, “Christien was one of my favorite people of all time…The world has lost a bright light.” And yet another, “he was seriously one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.” One on-line podcast listener who had never met Christien in person wrote: “His composure, demeanor, and single-minded perseverance on topics often challenged my point of view, and encouraged me to explore the reasoning behind my conclusions.” So many echoed these sentiments: “His absence is felt deeply…Christien was always generous with his kindness.” Christien had family and close friends with him when he passed, but he probably never realized how many people he had truly touched in his life – people who now are devastated by knowing he is no longer with us, even if they hadn’t spoken in years.
A Celebration of Life will be hosted at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum (1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd), where Christien acted years ago. It will be held at 2pm on February 22, 2020. Guests are asked to bring a favorite movie quote and/or memory written down to put in a box that will be shared with Kiernan. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to help keep Christien’s podcast going on Quarter to Three (www.quartertothree.com, upper right corner “Donate” PayPal button). Please write “In memory of Christien Murawski” in the notes section.
“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.” (Blade Runner, 1982)
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