Christopher (Chris) Townsend, 56, was born May 25, 1966, in Austin, and went home to be with the Lord on March 2, 2023.
Chris was the son of incredibly proud parents, Buell and Maria Townsend, and grew up in both East Austin and Taylor. He was the apple of his parents’ eyes, constantly in motion and devotedly focused on sports. His father coached all his teams, a passion Chris would carry forward with all three of his own children.
When Chris was 11, he sadly lost his mother to cancer. She was the center of his world, but eventually, that world expanded. Buell, Gary (brother) and Chris welcomed a wonderful loving mom, Mercedes (Mercy), and brothers Ernie and Michael to the family.
After graduating from Taylor High School, Chris proudly enlisted to serve his country in the United States Army.
After basic training, he enrolled in Officer Candidate School, later becoming an active-duty officer. It was through the Armed Forces that Chris learned the hallmarks of great leadership, true selflessness and the honor of uplifting every single soul around him.
These qualities defined Chris. He never met a stranger, always put a smile on your face, never ceased encouraging everyone he encountered, and constantly looked for new and helpful ways to serve others.
In 2009, Chris married the absolute love of his life, Natalie. They were a one-in-a-million level team, deeply devoted to each other and the raising of their family.
And as family always came first, one of Chris’s greatest joys in life was coaching with his children – be it Jacob’s football, Cate’s soccer, Jack’s baseball and every other game in between.
He was passionate about encouraging all kids, not just his own, to reach their utmost potential and attain greatness through team sports.
He made sure any who wanted to play were able, picking kids up for practice, paying entry fees or furnishing equipment and uniforms.
This servant’s heart extended far beyond the field, too, as Chris spent his free time providing meals and building housing for those in need, as well as giving college scholarships for others who could not afford the costs of higher education.
Chris led with kindness and strength in equal measure. He was always first to take others under his wing - meeting them exactly where they were, and mentoring them on their own life journeys.
Chris considered himself successful when he was able to help all the people around him be successful. And he was fortunate enough for those skills to take him from sales leadership roles at Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, to Chief Revenue Officer at CivicPlus. Chris was so proud to be a part of CivicPlus. He truly loved his team, fellow leadership and the company’s mission to help state and local government work better.
Chris gave 100% of himself to life and others with a genuine tenacity so uniquely rare. He was incredibly smart, down to earth and hilarious.
Those who knew and loved him have long lists of quippy sayings (affectionately known as CT-isms), countless stories of fun on the lake, at the ranch, on a beach, with a fishing pole in hand, a deer-stand in the background or from any number of countries to which he traveled over the years. His impact on his community and the people in it was truly unmatched. He will be greatly missed, but in true Chris form, he planted innumerable seeds that will continue to take root, blossom and grow for ages to come.
Chris was preceded in death by his mother and father.
He is survived by his wife, Natalie Townsend; his children, Jacob, Cate and Jack; his mother, Mercy Townsend; brothers, Gary (Tamra) Grabowski, Ernie (Jana) Hinojosa and Michael Buchanan; his father and mother-in-law, Tommy and Ann Minze; sister-in-law, Andrea (Lea) Minze; and numerous nieces, nephews and cherished friends.
A celebration of Chris’s life will take place at 11 a.m.
Saturday March 11, at Fellowship Church, 3379 Gattis School Road in Round Rock. Visitation will be one hour before the service, at 10 a.m.
Burial will be around 4 p.m. at the Fleming Family Cemetery in Guys Store.
The family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at Baylor Scott & White, Dell Seton and Texas Neuro Rehab. And a very special thank you for the warmth and care from the whole staff at Christopher House.
In lieu of flowers, the family has created the CTStrong Organization: https://www.gofundme. com/f/ctstrong whose proceeds will continue Chris’s legacy of providing college scholarships and access to sports, equipment and uniforms for youth in need.
Further memorial contributions can also be made to Wonders And Worries or Christopher House.
The family requests anyone who knew Chris to share memories and stories which will be gathered and a keepsake book will be created for the kids by clicking on the link below. https://www.dignitymemorial. com/obituaries/ lakeway-tx/christownsend- 11182286
