Christopher James Van Wagoner

1954 - 2020

Christopher James Van Wagoner
February 16, 1954 - December 28, 2020
La Jolla
Christopher James Van Wagoner, age 66, of La Jolla, California, passed suddenly on Monday, December 28, 2020, from complications from lung cancer.Born on February 16, 1954, in Santa Monica, California, to James and Jacqueline Van Wagoner, Chris led by example as the ideal big brother to his younger siblings Ripley and Carol. He graduated from UCSD with a BA in Psychology in 1984, an accomplishment followed almost immediately by his marriage to Cathy Conlon on July 7 of that same year. Their wedding at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church in La Jolla, CA, was celebrated by a reception at the La Valencia Hotel.Chris honed his construction skills after going to work for Sunrise Company in Palm Desert in the 1980s. It seemed as if these skills just came naturally to Chris; perhaps because he inherited them from his paternal grandfather, Murray Van Wagoner, of Salt Lake City. Like his grandfather, Chris could fix anything, repair anything, build anything. After retiring from his 30-year career as a construction superintendent, Chris worked for FEMA as a housing inspector. He was deployed to Paradise, California, after the Camp Fire in November 2018 destroyed more than 18,000 structures in that town.Chris taught himself to play guitar as a teenager. He was playing in a rock band when he first met Cathy, to whom he would stay married for life, and was still playing the bass with a band during his final weeks. Chris shared his love of music with his two sons as they grew up; Jamie attended the Musician's Institute in Los Angeles while Nick gravitated towards the drums. Father and sons had a blast jamming together in a recording studio in April 2019.Everyone who knew Chris would agree that his sense of humor was infectious. His favorite place to relax was Horseshoe Beach in La Jolla. When not in the water swimming or surfing, you could find him sitting in his beach chair, under an umbrella, teasing out answers to crossword puzzles from the New York Times.Chris is survived by his wife of 36 years, Cathy Conlon Van Wagoner, of La Jolla; sons Jamie, age 35, and Nick, age 32, of Del Mar; his brother, Ripley Van Wagoner, of Las Vegas, NV; his sister, Carol Brown of Maui, HI; his stepfather, Gilbert Moore, of Tucson, AZ, and his stepmother, Joyce Van Wagoner, of Santa Barbara. Chris also has several nieces and nephews who, along with their families, will miss him greatly.A celebration of Chris' life will be held at Horseshoe Beach in the spring of 2021.To his friends and family left behind, Chris would say, "Rock on!" Please sign the guest book online at legacy.com/obituaries/ lajollalight