In memory of Christopher F. Stewart

December 1st, 2012, a date ingrained in our brains. Nothing will ever be the same since that evening.  It was a pivotal day, one that changed us but also made all of our memories much sweeter.  A tragic event, the loss of our child, but thankfully we have a plethora of laughs, happiness and treasured memories in the 17 years and 11 months prior to that date.  For us, loss has made all our senses more vibrant over time.

Christopher was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 9th, 1995. When Chris was 11 months his athleticism was revealed when climbed out of his crib and crawled from his room, maybe he just wanted to see his big brother Jeremy. Just prior to Chris’s 2nd birthday, we moved back to the Capital Region, to Halfmoon/Clifton Park. 

In Christopher’s world, everything was about sports.  It started with football, from kindergarten straight thru senior year in high school.  He also tried and excelled in swimming, fishing, boating, golfing, soccer, baseball, lacrosse and wrestling.

But football was the sport he most loved and football is where the bond started with his lifelong friends, who call him “Stewz.”

During the early years in football, Chris took to bringing a very special red cooler filled with refreshments with him to all his games. Who would think that an old cooler would have such meaning to us still sitting to this day in our garage, just looking at it brings a smile and many happy memories.

When he was in 10th grade, Brent Steuerwald, the legendary head football coach at Shenendehowa HS, approached Chris and invited him to move up to Varsity.   Christopher told the coach that he was honored, but he would rather play with his 10th grade teammates at the JV level and then they could all move up together as 11th graders. Coach asked Chris to think on it and to call him later. 

That evening, Chris called the Coach and agreed to give it a try.  It took Christopher only a day at varsity practice to make his decision. He stayed and played Varsity while still attending JV games to encourage his pals from the sidelines.  The best of both worlds! 

Junior and senior years were seasons that Chris could only have dreamed off when he first started in the Shen Junior Plainsmen program.  He chose #69 for his jersey, he became a mentor to new players and his leadership skills were evident.

As a junior Christopher had his moment in the sun while playing against Ballston Spa toward the end of the season while both teams were undefeated.  Late in the first half of a close game, Stewz (while playing defensive tackle) saw that a screen pass was developing in front of him.  He saw the running back releasing from the backfield and the quarterback eyes were set on the back to throw him the short pass.  Chris waited for the pass to be thrown, jumped in front of the running back and tipped the ball to himself.   He took off running down the field, 54 yards toward the end zone. He was tackled on the one yard line and the team scored on the next play.  Thanks to the momentum started by Chris, Shen went on to win.

Chris was mobbed by his teammates as he ran off the field after his interception and lengthy run.  He never looked so happy.  This was one of those moments he had dreamed about: surrounded by news cameras after the game and being asked about his big play. While being interviewed he noted, “That was pretty much the coolest thing that ever happened to me.” You got that right Stewz!  That year he was named to the Capital Region Empire Division 1st Team. 

As a senior he was excited to be part of a new era in Shen football under a new coach, Brian Clawson.  On the night he was appointed, Coach Clawson received a text message from Christopher pledging to work hard on and off the field and to assist the Coach any way he could.  Coach told Regina and Mike how appreciative he was for receiving that text from Chris.

A few weeks later, Stewz was honored when his teammates selected him as a Team Captain.  A Wall of Fame at Shen HS has a section dedicated to past Team Captains.  Chris is now and forever a part of that tradition.  He makes us proud.  He had an outstanding senior year both on the offensive and defensive line leading his teammates to a record of 8-2 losing in the Class AA Super Bowl.

A few weeks after the season had ended, opposing coaches and the media recognized his dedication and hard work.  During a public ceremony on December 1, 2012, it was announced that Chris had again been named to the Capital Region Empire Division 1st Team.  Well done Stewz!

That was the last time we saw Chris – the day of that ceremony.  We were with him to celebrate, to let him know how proud we are, to give him our hugs and watch him receive a plaque from his coach.  He knew how much we loved him.  We laughed and had fun over lunch and when we had finished eating, we sent him off with our good wishes for an enjoyable evening out with his friends. We never thought that would be our last meal together.

When someone close is lost as suddenly as we lost our Christopher, there might be regrets for having said too few words, for not having laughed enough, for too few hugs or for having not expressed how much they are loved.

In our case, we did all of those things on the afternoon of December 1st, 2012.  And we thank God for the gift of those precious memories and our son’s joy-filled childhood.