Christopher Derdzinski

Our dear son, Christopher Ignatius Derdzinski, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 7.

God entrusted us with Christopher on March 1, 1997, in Austin, Texas. All our lives were profoundly changed that day. From that moment on, Christopher was so loved by his older brother, Nicholas, and then six years afterward by his sister, Katherine. His will to live kept him with us for 26 years.

While Christopher was never able to communicate with words, he taught profound lessons to every person he met or whoever got to know him and our family. Christopher was pure light, loving unconditionally and without judgement.  While he lived much of his life in pain, he still managed to thrive and persevere. He felt sadness, of course, but lived mostly with joy and happiness.  Christopher taught us to live in the moment, to never regret the past or to worry about the future.

Christopher filled a room with his smile and the world’s best belly laughs. The very first time Christopher attended camp, the staff recorded him laughing to play back when they themselves were having a rough day. Like the rest of us, Christopher could have bad moments, earning him the nickname Grumpy Cat in his special education classroom at George Washington High School.  In fact, Christopher collected many nicknames over the years. But it was his very first nickname that stuck with our family throughout his lifetime. Nicholas was 3 when Christopher was born, and loved Thomas the Tank Engine.  Nicholas named Christopher Toby, because Toby was Thomas’s best friend. There could have been no better honor.

Christopher had a very special and intimate relationship with his siblings.  He lit up and loved being around his brother and sister, and could even harass them in his own way, like any good brother.

Christopher lived a life filled with adventures. He loved the water, so we went to the pool every chance we could.  Vacations in the West revolved around going to hot springs. Joe carried or pushed Christopher up mountain trails until it was no longer physically possible, and pulled Christopher behind him in a trailer on bike rides in the summer and a sled in the winter. We tried to do the outside things we loved to do as a family. We took many road trips. Nearly every summer we loaded our van with all of Christopher’s supplies(!) and drove to northern Wisconsin so Christopher could be in the serene Northwoods, especially in our lake that we love so much.

We will miss scratching Christopher’s head, knowing he was purring inside, and kissing him throughout the day.  Christopher’s absence has left our lives quiet, especially since we no longer hear the buzzing of his favorite toy, but mostly because we no longer hear his vocalizations and laughs.

Be at peace in heaven our dear, sweet, little man. We love you so very much. Thank you for the privilege of being your family.

There are so, so many people over the years who were part of Christopher’s life. We especially want to thank his therapists, teachers, paras, caregivers, drivers, his amazing doctors, nurses and staff, especially at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Our neighbors showered Christopher with kindness and joy from the very beginning. Father Fox and the Good Shepherd community have been wonderful to Christopher over the past ten years, even when Christopher would laugh too loudly during Mass. Christopher’s very large extended family has always been so good about incorporating him into whatever they were up to. We especially want to thank our wonderful friends who are experiencing this life with us. We share a special bond because of our beautiful children.  For that we are blessed.

Christopher is survived by his parents and his two loving siblings as well as 3 grandparents, 10 aunts, 12 uncles, 27 cousins and their spouses and children. He is preceded in death by his maternal grandmother.

Donations in Christopher’s honor can be made to

Rocky Mountain Village Camp, Easter Seals of Colorado

The Smith Agency day program

Texas Parent-to-Parent