Obituary for Christopher James Whitman

November 19, 2004 - May 8, 2022

Christopher James Whitman-son, cousin, grandson, friend, elite Minecraft gamer, and self-proclaimed restaurant connoisseur - died on Sunday, May 8, 2022 at his home in Austin, TX. He was 17 years old and a junior at Vandegrift High School.

When Chris was asked to describe himself in a word, he said "nice" because he cared deeply about other people. The people that loved Chris most saw him as smart, determined, able to focus on areas of interest for long periods of time, and maybe a little stubborn. He was born on November 19, 2004 to William Charles (Bill) Whitman and Patricia Iosif Black. He bore many great qualities of both his parents such as his handsome looks, love of travel, intelligence, and love of asking questions.

As a young boy, Chris loved swimming, going on hikes, playing with his friends and being outside. He was a Cub Scout for most of his elementary school years - an activity his dad, Bill, an Eagle Scout, loved to share with him. As he got older, Chris, like most children, loved to play video games, such as Minecraft, Super Mario Cart or just about any video game. He was very competitive and liked to win at everything. He loved music and if not playing video games would often be seen with his earphones on playing his favorite artists such as Selena Gomez, Bones and JPEG Mafia.

One of his most favorite passions, which he shared with his father, was his love of food - the more stars the better. Chris' great analytical skills would have him researching the best restaurants in town and ordering the most delectable dishes for every birthday, special event or high grade in a class.

Some of Chris' favorite memories were travels to Sequoia National Park, the Grand Canyon, Disney World, and Florida. He loved spending time playing cornhole with his cousin, Connor, and studying the Bible. He was most interested in the book of Matthew. He was searching intently for the meaning of life. His long-term goals were to go to college to be a video game tester or possibly counseling others who were in difficult situations as he felt he could help others such as himself.

He is survived by his parents Bill Whitman and Patricia Black and stepfather, Joe Black; paternal grandmother, Bette Broderick Whitman; paternal grandfather, Charlie Whitman; his maternal grandmother and grandfather Dorina and Lionel Iosif of Geneva, Switzerland; his Uncle Mikey Whitman (Ted Clarkson); Aunt Barbara Padron (Henry); Aunt Mary Beth Goodrich (Jeff); Uncle Cowboy Whitman; and cousins Grant, Connor, Joshua, Ally, Sara, Coby, Dillan and Matthew, as well as a large, extended family.

As a young man with both passion and an intense sense of empathy, Chris, who struggled in this world on so many levels, was searching for perfect happiness. We hope that each of you will hug your family tight and reach out to those that may be difficult to reach out to. In honor of Chris, be a friend to someone who really needs a friend. He would have liked that.

Funeral services will be held at Harrell Funeral Home, 4435 Frontier Trail, Austin, TX 78745 (512) 443-1366 on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 10:00am. Visitation will be on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 6:00pm - 8:00pm. All who want to celebrate Chris' life are welcome to come to the services. Chris would have wanted everyone to be included. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at supporting.afsp.org.