Christopher Kent Kimball, known by many as CK, was peacefully taken to Heaven on March 10, 2009, at the age of 56. He died at home as he slept quietly with his wife, Jay Lynne, and his dog, Hobo, nearby. Chris had suffered for many years with the pain of Fibromyalgia. His health had worsened steadily, but took a sudden and irreversible decline in late January. On March 4, 2009, he received a terminal diagnosis of Primary Systemic Amyloidosis. Although Chris was prepared to face the very unpleasant treatment alternatives, he was spared the ordeal. Chris was born on July 11, 1952, to John and Beverly Kimball in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from Miraleste High School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1970, and attended the University of Idaho, where he received a Bachelors Degree in 1974. He and Jay Lynne were married on June 10, 1989, in Bellevue, WA, where he had lived for many years before moving to Wenatchee, WA in 2000. Chris discovered his passion in college while playing the guitar. Music and sound became the essence of his life. Jobs in radio and TV sound production led Chris to establish his life work teaching guitar and recording music. His teaching extended from his college days to the establishment of C.K.'s Musical Workshop, where he both taught and recorded music at a professional level. Known by many as a man looking for perfection, Chris was renowned for constantly striving to make "perfect recordings." Chris had been teaching, performing and producing music professionally for over 40 years. His credits include productions on both television (Character Gil Kirkland in "Time Out", a sequel to Sesame Street; "Music Unlimited" KUID-TV) and radio (CBS affiliate KOPO in Arizona) as well as university level instruction (University of Idaho). Most recently, he performed the difficult and challenging guitar accompaniment of Leavenworth's Summer Theater "Man of LaMauncha" and as a featured soloist in the production of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." Chris had hundreds of hours of training under some of the world's finest teachers and has studied guitar under some of the greats, including Dorothy DeGode, Christopher Parkening and Laurindo Almieda. Although, over the past two years, pain and illness made it almost impossible for Chris to play his beloved guitar, he still had the music in his soul. Music defined his life. He recently said, "I'm not just a person who plays guitar, I am a guitarist, and if I cannot play guitar, I am nothing." Chris was much more than a musician. He was a man with a huge and caring heart, who gave whatever he could to his students and those he worked with. He was a wonderful husband, father, teacher and friend. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Chris accepted with great courage the fact that he was dying. He said he was not afraid to die and he continued making plans for living life as normal. Chris had a tremendous faith in God that carried him through his many trials. Great support was found in his many friends and church family from the First Baptist Church of Wenatchee. In the end, he knew that his life would not end in death, but would begin anew. Chris loved his wife and daughter more than life itself and in his final days spent most of his waking moments doing everything in his power to be sure they would be ok without him.
Chris was preceded in death by his mother, Beverly Sorenson; and his step-mother, Nancy Kimball. He is survived by his wife, Jay Lynne; his daughter, Julie Ann Cockburn (and husband, Charles) of Bend, OR; his father, John Kimball of Modesto, CA; his brother, David Kimball (wife, Maureen and children, Andrew and Meredith) of Pennington, NJ; and his sister, Janice Key (husband, Stephen and children, Madeleine, Jonathan and Elizabeth) of Modesto, CA.
Services have already been held. In lieu of flowers, please direct donations to Wenatchee High School Music Department's Mariachi Huenachi Band, c/o Ramon Rivera and Dan Jackson, 1101 Millerdale Avenue, Wenatchee, WA 98801.
This obituary was originally published in the Wenatchee World.
