Christopher Charles Schroen

1970 - 2017

ALEXANDRIA, VA - Christopher Charles Schroen, born August 10, 1970, passed away on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, after a short but fierce battle with cancer. At the end, he was surrounded by love and family. He is survived by his mother, Patricia Healey (Joe) of Williamsburg, father Gary Schroen (Anne) of Alexandria, sisters Kate Cowell (Matt) of Sharpsburg, KY and Jennifer Schroen of Alexandria, niece Abigail Cowell of Sharpsburg, KY, and aunt Donna Naylor of Alton, IL. A memorial service celebrating his life was held on November 10, 2017 at Grace Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Chris graduated from Bruton High School, after which he joined the United States Navy. He was assigned to the Naval Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterrey, California where he became fluent in Arabic. He served in the First Gulf War as an interpreter and flew many missions over Iraq, gathering and translating radio transmissions. After his service, Chris attended George Mason University. His love of computer languages resulted in a career as a systems analyst. Chris loved to read and explore literature, language, and the written word. His vast library covered an astonishing variety of subjects and included the most challenging, influential, and important authors. He was truly a linguist and taught himself to read and speak French and was also conversant in German, Spanish, and several other languages. His friendships were deep, many of them going back to his childhood. He was greatly loved and respected by his friends, who are scattered around the world. Chris loved to travel. He spent much of his childhood in the Middle East and, in summer, traveled back there with his sisters to visit his father. With family or on his own, he traveled extensively in Europe and the Middle East and recently spent more than a year touring Africa, traveling by bus and backpacking. His most recent travel/adventure was to Asia. His plan to tour the continent short-circuited when he found himself in the Philippines and fell in love. He stayed there for almost a year before returning to his job as a systems analyst in Washington, D.C. His travels were extensive and Ethiopia was by far his favorite destination. He traveled there many times and toured the country from border to border, reveling in the scenery, the towns and villages, and the people. He especially loved visiting a research camp dedicated to the study of gelada monkeys run by his friend Peter Fashing in the highlands of Ethiopia. Chris loved being there, helping in any way he could and developing friendships with the research associates and camp staff. Chris was an extraordinary man, deeply loved and admired by friends and family alike. He will be sorely missed. Should you wish to honor Chris's memory, please consider making a contribution to Peter Fashing's research project in Ethiopia. Send a check made out to Peter Fashing to: Dr. Peter Fashing Guassa Gelada Research Project Dept of Anthropology McCarthy Hall 426 800 N. State College Blvd. California State University Fullerton Fullerton, CA 92834