Christopher J. Engstrom

Christopher Engstrom 46, of Eastham, MA passed away peacefully on May 7th, 2017 after a five-year struggle with ALS.
Chris, an amazing painter, teacher, friend, brother, uncle and beloved son was born April 2nd 1971 to Patricia and John Engstrom. Chris had a special connection with nature and animals. His favorite outings were long hours spent among the trees and mountains and ocean. He could see gifts and beauty in the shadows of the branches where most could not. His outdoor adventures filled his pockets with a treasure trove of sea glass, feathers and artifacts. His love for nature and animals meant there was always a stray cat to be fed or a hurt raccoon to be rescued. This love was seen in everything he touched, but especially in his artwork. Photography, painting and drawing were just a few of the mediums he embraced. His range of talents knew no bounds: Writing and illustrating a children's book, and creating poetry were just a small portion of his gifts.
Chris received his Bachelor of Arts from Cooper Union and Masters Degree in Painting from Yale University. His love for New Haven and the community that embraced him was heartfelt. He spoke of those years in New Haven with joy and laughter and music and adventures. The last several years were spent in Eastham, MA with his parents, sister, loving friends and caregivers. The disease did not curtail his zest for life. His energy for exploring would still outlast most of us.
Chris is survived by his parents, John and Patricia Engstrom of Eastham, MA, his sister Jennifer Engstrom of Somerville, MA, brother Michael Engstrom, sister in-law Kirsten Engstrom, niece Carly, nephew Tate Engstrom of Bedford, NH and Aunt Maureen Kennan, Uncle Dwight Kennan of Ohio, Aunt Judy, Uncle Bill Murray of Washington and many close cousins located around the country.
In lieu of flowers, his family requests that memorial contributions be made in Chris's name to Compassionate Care ALS http://www.ccals.org, ALS ONE http://www.alsone.org and/or Two Coyotes School of Wilderness http://www.twocoyotes.org/Donate.html. A celebration of his life will be held this summer, an announcement will be made with time and location at a later date.