Chris

It’s hard to know where to even begin with this. I met Chris the day he was born, or at least I think I did. In my head, I totally did. I was 4 and 1/2 and ready to fulfill my destiny as the oldest child. It is a role I was made for and I fit it to a “T”. Chris was the cutest blond little brother a girl could ask for…but he was born to be the second child. He was born to live life with reckless abandon and he mastered it.

As time goes on I will add to this but for now, I am just going to leave what my sister and I wrote for Chris’s memorial. Check back for more details and fun stories as time passes.

Christopher William LaCourciere of Wendell, NC, age 41, found his eternal peace on the warm sands of Carolina Beach, NC on May 29, 2024. Chris had battled with his mental health for years, but the extent of his struggles was never fully shared with those closest to him, and never shown to most who knew him.

Chris was born on December 22, 1982 in Burlington, Wisconsin and spent most of his life living in the Frozen Tundra. In 2022, he moved his family to North Carolina to escape the cold and be closer to his older sister and family,but as with most Sconnie’s, his love of the Packers, Brewers, Bucks and Badgers remained strong.

Chris exhibited a thirst for knowledge and modeled the wonder of knowing. He eagerly studied anything that sparked his interest, especially history and woodworking. He was also passionate about experiencing the great outdoors, spending much of his life exploring nature. He was able to combine his love of nature and preserving history in his blooming business, Vintage American Woodworks. He specialized in making timeless furniture, finely crafted using reclaimed wood. His favorite pieces to bring to life were kitchen tables, because he believed that that was one piece that brought friends and family together to create lifelong memories, which he was extremely passionate about.

Chris will always be remembered for the love and affection he showed his family and friends. He will also be remembered for his reckless abandon, like the evening he noticed his neighbor’s house on fire and kicked in the front door, barefoot, and ran all through the burning house because there was a car in the driveway and he believed they were home. Thankfully the neighbors were on vacation and no one was hurt, even though the house was almost a total loss. But that was Chris. He had an extremely generous heart and would happily sacrifice himself to save those he loved deeply.

The caring soul that he was, Chris tended to put others’ emotional needs before his own. Unfortunately, this resulted in him neglecting his own mental health in order to give everything he had to those around him. In time, this burden had become too heavy and his pain unbearable. Chris’s sudden, tragic passing is a stark reminder to us all to remember to show kindness, to display an openness to talk and more importantly to listen, to see, and to accept without judgment. And above all else, to remember to take care of our own mental health in addition to others’, to help when we can, and to accept help when it’s needed.

Chris is survived by his son, Spencer, daughter, Alivia, mother and step-father, Brenda and Thomas Warren, father and step-mother, William and Brenda LaCourciere, sisters and brothers-in-law, December and Samuel Bowles and Shannan and Kevin Tyndall, along with three nephews and two nieces.

His departure comes with great shock and deep anguish, and is gravely felt by his entire family and community of countless others who loved and cherished him so deeply. The family deeply appreciates your support during this difficult time and asks that in lieu of flowers, any contributions be made to the gofundme set up to handle his final and unexpected expenses. Chris loved to plan out projects more than he loved to plan for life, and as such did not have any life insurance and left behind many expensive pieces to be picked up after his death. We are extremely grateful for any financial assistance to help cover those final expenses, as well as to help to tie up all of the loose ends he so suddenly left open. Our heartfelt appreciation goes to those who have already contributed and helped ease our initial financial burden.  Anything that is left over will go directly to his children.