Chris Kilcullen

1968 - 2011

Few men embody all of the virtues we admire and strive for. Chris was a person who embodied this phrase through his humor, his hard work, and his desire to care for all people. Chris was a man of honor, faithfulness, honesty and integrity. He had an unconditional desire to be the absolute best husband, father, son, brother and public servant he could possibly be.

Chris was born March 22, 1968, to John and Carolyn Kilcullen. They separated and remarried, blessing Chris with another mother Sherrie Kilcullen and father Randy Lodge. Chris graduated from Willamette High School in 1986. He gravitated to jobs that involved interacting with people. While working at Safeway, regular customers would stand in line just to go through Chris' checkout.

While attending the University of Oregon, Chris had a number of part-time jobs that meshed well with his personality. He had a love of music. He owned a portable DJ business called Makin Musik. He formed lifelong friendships with several radio personalities who recognized his radiant personality. Later, he worked as a disc jockey for many local radio stations, most notably KDUK, where he was known as "Killer Kullen" a nickname he picked up in high school. Never wanting to be idle, Chris volunteered his time and abilities to Looking Glass, White Bird, and the Lane County Juvenile Department. It was his experience working with troubled youth that led him to his career in law enforcement. He believed in prevention and wanted to be a positive influence on kids before they got into trouble.

Chris joined the Eugene Police Department (EPD) in March of 1998. It was there where he met his future wife Kristie Sampson. Kristie's mother was a "scanner junkie" and she encouraged Kristie to ride with Chris because of his sexy voice and kind manner. Shortly after getting into the car on her first ride-along, they encountered some subjects involved in illegal drug activity. It was how he treated them both at the stop and in transport to the jail "with respect and calm demeanor" that drew Kristie to him. She knew at the time he was a good man, and made for her.

Chris and Kristie married on August 7, 2004, in Yachats, Oregon. Chris embraced Kristie's young daughter, Sydney,with open arms. Chris' joy expanded with the birth of Katie Ann Kilcullen on January 4, 2007. She was the apple of his eye. No two little girls could have been loved more. Regardless of the hours spent working and protecting the community, he unfailingly came home and relished every waking minute with his girls.

During his twelve year career with EPD, Chris received more than 85 commendations. Those commendations repeatedly cited Chris' exemplary professional demeanor and positive interactions with the public he served, even in the most stressful circumstances.

Chris Kilcullen was appointed to the EPD Rapid Deployment Unit in 2003 and earned an advanced certificate as a Certified Police Officer in 2004. In May 2004 and again in June 2008 he was awarded the EPD Employee of the Month for having the highest activity level of any EPD patrol officer, based on the number of investigations, arrests, traffic citations and field interviews.

Officer Kilcullen served in the Special Operations Traffic Enforcement Unit since 2005. He was a longtime member of the EPD Negotiation Team from 2002 to 2011, and in 2008 he assisted in the development of the Crisis Intervention Team and is credited with saving many lives as a member of that team.

It would be impossible to encompass the man that Chris was and those who knew him will forever be changed. Chris and his wife created a beautiful home for themselves and their daughters. Their love for each other and the girls didn't end there. They rescued four old dogs, raised twenty chickens, millions of bees, a tank full of fish, and one thankless rabbit.

Chris enjoyed spending time with his family, especially in the outdoors. His grandpa Ed blessed him with the love of fishing, which they shared since he was a little boy, fishing for perch at Tenmile Lake. Chris shared the love and lessons from his grandpa and was in the process of passing down that gift to his girls.

He is survived by his wife Kristie; two daughters Sydney and Katie Ann; his parents John and Sherrie Kilcullen, Carolyn Lodge, and Randy Lodge; brother Cory Kilcullen; sister Colby Kilcullen; nephew Coen; and niece Gemma.

Please sign the guest book at www.registerguard.com/legacyChris Kilcullen