Christopher John Gariffo

Christopher (Chris) John Gariffo Feb. 1, 1970--Mar. 14, 2016 Chris Gariffo died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Santa Rosa, CA on March 14, 2016. Chris is survived by his beloved wife Lauri and Golden Retriever Carmella; his parents John and Sandra (Sandi) Gariffo of Greenbrae; and his sister Jill Strub of Kentfield, brother-in-law Fletcher Strub, niece Nicole and nephew Wesley. Chris was born and raised in Marin, growing up in Larkspur and Kent Woodlands, and spent most of his life in the county's beautiful outdoors. He fished, hiked and biked every nook and cranny of Marin. He was a graduate of Redwood High School, class of 1988, and received his undergraduate degree from UC Davis, majoring in Geography. Chris had many interests and he had a diverse group of loyal friends, who adored him. He was nick-named affectionately by his friends "The Wiley". He met his wife of fifteen years on a blind "fishing" date. They married and moved to Santa Rosa, where Chris spent much of his time outdoors in Sonoma County. Chris was a loving and giving husband, son, brother, uncle and friend. Chris was a talented and dedicated salesman with a successful career selling academic and achievement products. He was most passionate about his hobbies and the joy they brought to his life. He was fond of cooking and making his famous 9 pound lasagna and casseroles. He enjoyed collecting vinyl records and Native American artifacts. He was a life-long Raiders fan (1975), loved the Golden State Warriors and World Cup Soccer. Chris was an accomplished fly-fisherman and guided in Alaska. As a true nature lover, he has fished every fishable river or lake in California and many rivers and oceans throughout the world during his travels with his wife. Together, they also enjoyed many scuba diving adventures in exotic locations, like Australia. He had a big heart and was known to be generous, kind, funny, passionate, smart and extremely Wiley. His unique character will be missed by so many that knew and loved him. Our beloved Chris was taken from us much too soon and we will miss him more than we can fathom. A future Celebration of Life Service is being planned by his family and details will be forthcoming.