Christopher David Ballard

Christopher Ballard, 37, of Redford, MI passed away on March 20th, 2023. Born on March 18th, 1986 to the late David Ballard and Ann (McCord) in Muncie, IN, Chris came into this world as the youngest of three brothers and left with a tribe much larger than that, having collected an amazing wife and quite the group of in-laws and friends along the way.
Suburban childhood and adolescence came and went and the most lasting impression it left was the fact that Chris met his soulmate, Alexandria (AJ) Kazakos-Ballard, in high school. They wed in 2016 and were excellent cat parents - while Bilbo, Impa, and Nyx know how good they have it, Arya never quite seemed to learn, but all four of them will miss him terribly.
An electrical engineering major at Michigan State, Chris went on to build a lot of really impressive things that were too complex for most - but not all - who knew him to understand. But understand or not, we were immensely proud; the way his mind worked was fascinating. You could learn so much just from listening to him talk through his thought process when he was problem solving. So it's no surprise he held numerous patents for the work he's done.
Chris also had this ability to sit down with an instruction manual, read through it once, and immediately be capable of executing whatever he'd learned and explaining it in layman's terms to others. So whether it was a complex engineering schematic or the directions for a new board game, you always knew Chris was going to lead the way on getting himself and anybody else up to speed.
When it was time to let his mind relax, Chris found peace in nature; though specifically nature with a lot of loud music wafting about. He and AJ could often be found wandering through the trees at Electric Forest, along with brothers-in-law Kolton and Dimo Kazakos. Music brought Chris a sense of liberation and you could tell when a song hit just right - he'd close his eyes and get the softest, most content little smile on his face while he bobbed his head along to the beat. He also loved chilling in his hammock and going to the zoo, though his favorite animal would have been easier to find at a local farm - he was a big fan of chickens.
If it wasn't time to be rocking out in the forest, you'd often find Chris with snacks and one of the many books he loved to read. Always hungry for the opportunity to broaden his mind and understand the world he lived in, Chris dove into the study of philosophy, favoring works by Gilles Deleuze and Aleister Crowley.
Chris was a lover of the mysteries of the universe who believed in the interconnectedness of all things. He would weave philosophical ideas with the world around him and find interesting connections in even the most mundane places.
Whether or not he was feeling talkative at the moment, Chris had an energy that just resonated around him. And we would be remiss not to talk about his laugh - he had the most amazing, unique, boisterous, and singular laugh those who knew him ever heard. It, among many other wonderful things about him, will resonate in our memories.
If you had the privilege of knowing Chris in the early and mid 2010s, you got to see how he grew and developed into the truest and best version of himself. If you weren't lucky enough to get to know him until later, just know that beautiful head of hair was a point of pride for him and he rocked it like nobody else ever could.
For those of us left, our world will never be the same, but we will all hold on to our unique and individual memories of the person Chris was to us, and in sharing memories and stories with one another we will continue to build the best picture of him we can.
Chris was predeceased by his father, David Ballard. Chris is survived by his wife, AJ Kazakos-Ballard; his mother, Ann Ballard; his brothers, Mark (Barb) and Matt (Andrea) Ballard; his brothers-in-law Niko (Katie), Kolton, and Dimo Kazakos; and many nieces and nephews.
The viewing will be held at Charles Step Funeral Home, 18425 Beech Daly, Redford, MI 48240 on Monday March 27, 2023 beginning at 2:00 in the afternoon with services beginning at 6:00 in the evening. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Feral Kitty Trappers TNR and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.