Christopher G. Marchand

Marchand, Christopher G.
HALFMOON - Christopher G. Marchand, 71, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, peacefully entered the arms of his Lord and Savior, on November 1, 2025, after a valiant fight against cancer. Chris was at home, his favorite place on Earth, surrounded by his loving family,
Chris was born on September 2, 1954, and was a lifelong resident of the Waterford Halfmoon area, having never lived more than a mile away from the house in which he was raised. He was an elementary graduate of St. Mary's Catholic School in Waterford, and a graduate of Catholic Central High School in Lansingburgh. Chris was a force. He was the hardest working, most determined individual you ever could meet. He was a man who taught his children that if you are honest and work hard, you can achieve anything. Chris' work was his passion. Never one to spend much time on hobbies or recreation, he was passionate about building a business that builds, renovates, and remodels homes for people to cherish and raise their own families in. Chris started working in the trades at 12 years old, hanging drywall. By the time he was 16, he was driving a boom truck. As a young adult, he worked in the building trades during the day, and worked at an oil refinery at the Port of Albany by night, to support his young family.
He enjoyed physical labor, and turned that drive and motivation into a thriving business that he truly built from the ground up. CGM Construction, named after the initials of Chris, its founder, has spent decades bettering the community in countless ways. Chris would accept nothing but excellence in terms of craftsmanship. He could often be heard saying that he would treat every single project as if it was his own, building each home as if his own family was going to live there. Throughout his life in business, whether you were a customer, a vendor, a subcontractor, or an employee of CGM, he considered you a friend for life. Chris was a visionary in every sense of the word. He could step foot on a job site and within minutes make a handful of changes that only he could visualize, leaving everyone wondering why they didn't think of them first. His advice and guidance were second to none, and will be sorely missed.
Chris always had a passion for speed and horsepower. Whether it be driving one of his classic cars to a car show on a nice summer evening, or snowmobiling during the winter, he loved that rush of adrenaline that high performance machinery would give him. He had a deep appreciation for cars and construction equipment. With the encouragement of his family, Chris had recently started spending some time in Florida during the winter months getting much deserved rest and relaxation. He quickly made a community of incredible friends, who looked to him for advice, entertainment, and friendship. His seat at the pool was adorned with a nameplate and he cherished those days in the sun sipping a cocktail and telling stories. As he became a grandfather, his joy was having his family fly down and soak up the sun alongside him. He built a beautiful life and enjoyed nothing more than sharing his success with everyone he loved.
Chris absolutely loved being a grandfather and cherished all eight of his grandchildren. He loved spending time with them, especially riding along on the tractor and touring the property on his ATV or Ranger.
Chris was predeceased by his parents, George and Muriel Marchand; his younger brother, Chuck Marchand; and his older sister, Denise (Marchand) Roque. He is survived by his loving wife, his best friend through 47 years of marriage, Victoria (Catallo) Marchand; his son, Christopher Anthony Marchand; and his wife, Dominique (Valente) Marchand; his daughter, Jivon (Marchand) Reo; and her husband, Anthony Reo; his grandchildren, Stella, Cal, Mack, and Anthony Reo, and Lucia, Giorgio, Benicio, and Martino Marchand; his sister, Charlene; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, John and Toni Opitz; his brothers-in-law, David Catallo and Romeo Roque; his niece Tara (Roque) Hibey; his nephew, Justin Opitz; his lifelong best friend Joe Gross; and his wife, Carol Gross.
Funeral services will be Friday, 9 a.m., from the Philip J. Brendese Funeral Home, 133 Broad St. (Rte.32), Waterford, and at 9:30 a.m., at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Waterford. Interment will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery, Waterford.
Relatives and friends may visit at the funeral home on Thursday, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Those who wish, may make memorial contributions to St. Mary's Catholic School, 12 6th St., Waterford, N.Y. 12188, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, www.stjude.org/donate
To express your sympathy or share a treasured memory, visit www.brendesefuneralhome.com