Christopher Clark Badger

Christopher Clark Badger

1958-2025

Christopher Clark Badger passed away from sudden complications while mountain biking in the hills of San Jose, California, on November 9, 2025. He left this world with a full heart, surrounded by the landscapes he loved; his family, his land, and the community he built over a lifetime of quiet adventure.

Born in 1958, Chris grew up in the rural town of Carlisle, Massachusetts, the eldest son of Bill Badger and Betsy Badger Carlson. His childhood was defined by the marshes and woods of New England. He attended The Fenn School and graduated from The Middlesex School in 1977 in Concord. Much of his youth was spent at "Great Meadows," his grandparents' property, where he bonded with his grandfather Dick Borden, while trapping muskrats and tending to the dikes. It was here that Chris developed his lifelong traits of self-reliance, curiosity, and a deep stewardship for nature.

Chris attended Dartmouth College, where he rowed on the winning varsity crew team. A highlight of his athletic career was competing at the Royal Regatta at Henley, England, in 1980. Chris received a B.A. in Engineering Science in 1981. That summer, he and his mother traveled across the country in a two-vehicle convoy, separating in New Mexico-Chris continued north to attend graduate school at Stanford University, while Betsy made her way to her longtime home in Santa Barbara. In 1983, Chris earned his M.S. in Engineering Science from Stanford.

In California, Chris found his stride as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and technology evangelist. Beyond his professional success, he fell in love with the rhythm of life on the West Coast - skiing in Sun Valley, duck hunting in the bay, and biking year-round.

He met his wife Dene Rowell, while participating in sailboat races at the St Francis Yacht Club. After a year of international travel, Chris proposed with a "Ring Pop" during a ski trip to Alta, Utah. They were married on December 16th 1989 and eventually settled in Portola Valley.

Over 35 years, Chris and Dene transformed their property, affectionately known as "The Farm," from wild grass into a thriving homestead of vegetables, fruit trees, chickens, horses, and Chris' beloved beehives. To Chris, the land was a living canvas that reflected his patience and his joy tending to all living things.

A historian at heart, Chris was deeply committed to land conservation, particularly in the Ketchum-Sun Valley area and at Fort Union Ranch in New Mexico. He saw himself as a steward, eager to carry on the legacy of his ancestors - Dick Borden, Roger Crist, Benjamin Butler, and Adelbert Ames - ensuring the land was better for the next generation.

Chris lived with remarkable intention. Even into his 60s, he was a formidable athlete and outdoorsman. He summited world peaks, ran the Dipsea trail, backcountry skied with his Olympian cousins, and waded through the mud into the Bay with his hunting dogs. He was never one to be hung up in results; he simply loved the "process of living."

Chris was a supportive partner to Dene for 36 years, always the first to help her with a new landscape project or a graden bed for exotic fruit. On Sunday afternoons, he would often be found napping with his black labs, Oakley and Riggins, to the sound of a Giants or 49ers game.

As a father, Chris offered his three sons - Jackson, Carson, and Macklan - patience and encouragement. He taught them to handle knee-deep powder, cast a fly rod, and gallop a horse, but more importantly, he taught them to choose the path less traveled. This past fall, at his youngest son's wedding in Lake Tahoe, Chris expressed that his proudest accomplishment was seeing his boys grow into kind, intelligent, and loving men. He was truly at peace.

Chris was predeceased by this father, Bill Badger. He is survived by his mother, Betsy Carlson; his wife Dene; his sons, Jackson (Kelly), Carson, and Macklan (Karoline); his sister Lisa Badger and the extended Rowell and Crist families of the Bay Area and Sun Valley.

Service Information

A celebration of life is planned for Monday April 13th, 4-7pm at Rossotti's Alpine Inn. In lieu of flowers, donations in Chris' memory may be made to Cal Trout.