Chris was born in Aurora, Illinois, on March 28, 1968, to Albert John and Mary Ann (Gurbal) Armbruster. The family lived at the Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House, designed by Bruce Goff, in Aurora, until Chris was 5. They then moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Chris took trips to Mexico and fondly remembered the woman who made tortillas by hand outside the mission in Tumacacori. Five years later, they moved to Sioux City, Iowa, where Chris enjoyed sledding with friends during the winter. The family finally relocated to Peoria, Illinois, to 1536 W. Moss Avenue, where Chris graduated high school as a Manual Ram in 1986. He “learned how to ski” at the University of Colorado, Boulder, for a year before returning to Peoria and finishing his Associate’s Degree at ICC.
Chris got involved in theater while at ICC, and he acted in and directed a number of shows, including “The Nerd” at Peoria Players Theater and various shows at Corn Stock Theater. He loved Shakespeare, often reciting lines. He also acted in local commercials for Big Al’s and Pottstown Meat & Deli, where he asked his neighbor, “what are you grillin’?” Chris worked at Foster & Gallagher for several years before starting at ChoicePoint Marketing, later LexisNexis, where he worked for 28 years as a Systems Engineer.
Chris married Michelle Marie Runyon on October 19, 1996. They adopted twins, Taylor and Ian, in February of 1997. They lived in Peoria for five years before moving to Michelle’s hometown of Elmwood in 2002. There they bought a beautiful old house on Rose Street, where both Chris and Michelle spent the rest of their lives. Chris loved photography and displayed his work in the family living room. He also loved sketching and watercolor painting, and many of his drawings can be found around the house. Chris always enjoyed walking the family dog, first Shadow and then Pudge. He enjoyed podcasts while commuting to work, washing the dishes, and doing the laundry on the weekends. He loved to garden and was very proud of his pumpkins, tomatoes, and radishes. He also loved to cook, especially things like Elvis chicken, pecan pie, quiche, Alton Brown’s Turbo Hummus, and pickled beets.
Surviving are his children, Taylor and Ian Armbruster; his faithful dog, Pudge; his mother, Mary Ann Armbruster; aunts, Pat Scott, Peggy Gurbal, Margaret Gurbal, and Becky Gurbal; his twin sister, Liz Armbruster; his brother, Tom (Marie) Armbruster; sister-in-law, Christine (Clark) Evans; nieces and nephews, Chad Armbruster, Colton Evans, Colby Evans, Max Vincent, Ethan Evans, Emma Evans, and Will Vincent; and his best friends, David Enyeart and Cheryl (Joe) Harlow.
He is preceded in death by his father, John Armbruster; father-in-law, Terry Runyon; mother-in-law, Charlotte Perdue; uncles, John Gurbal, Dave Gurbal, and Dan Gurbal; aunts, Mary Ziegler and Margaret “Peggy” Gurbal; younger brother, Michael; and his beloved dog, Shadow.
Cremation rites have been accorded. A private Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Elmwood B.Y.E. or PCAPS.
To leave online condolences, please visit www.oakshinesfuneralhome.com
Oaks-Hines Funeral Home and Crematory in Elmwood is in charge of arrangements.
No comments:
Post a Comment