Chris Paddock Obituary Amarillo TX, Chris Paddock Funeral, Visitation and Celebration of life

Chris Paddock Death, Obituary – On August 11, 2023, Christopher Russ Paddock, age 48, of Amarillo, Texas, went to be with his Lord and Savior. A memorial service honoring Chris’s life will be conducted on Sunday, August 27, 2023, at three o’clock in the afternoon at Hillside Christian Church-West Campus, located at 6100 S. Soncy Rd in Amarillo, Texas. Alan Keister and Craig Albracht will preside over the event. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors are in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that you wear blue, which was his favorite color, or your Team Paddock shirt in his memory.

On October 5, 1974, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Chris Paddock was born to his parents, Max and Pamelia Paddock. In 1993, he received his diploma from Cooper High School and was later considered for selection to the McDonald’s All-American basketball team. After that, Chris enrolled in the University of Colorado in order to pursue his passion for basketball there. His first year of college basketball was spent at the University of Colorado in Boulder, but he completed his collegiate playing career at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where his team won the Western Athletic Conference Championship.

In addition to that, he was an active participant in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at that institution. After that, Chris attended McMurray College in Abilene to earn his Bachelor of Science in Education degree. He later attended Wayland Baptist University to earn his Master of Education degree in the same field. Chris met the woman who would become the love of his life, Misty Dudley, when he was in Abilene. They went on to get married on June 30, 2001 in Hereford, Texas. Hadley Beth, Ethan Russ, and Hayden Russ were their three stunning children, all of them were born during their marriage.

Chris was an outdoorsman from an early age, and he often went fishing and hunting with his father, Max. His lifelong love of the great outdoors was evident in the frequent journeys to the mountains he took with his family during his adult years. Chris delighted in making his mother, Pam, laugh by using a wide variety of accents, jokes, and other comedic devices. Chris’s involvement in the youth group at his church was extensive. At a very young age, he discovered a passion for the game of basketball and became obsessed with it.

He felt compelled to seek out more experienced adversaries who might give him a run for his money and push him to improve as a craftsman. Chris credited a significant number of the lessons he learnt about life to the experience of playing basketball. Chris has over ten years of experience coaching at a variety of levels. His first coaching job was at Fannin Middle School, and then he moved on to Caprock High School, where he was the assistant varsity coach and the junior varsity coach for the boys’ basketball program there.

After that, Chris moved on to become the head coach of the girls’ basketball team at Caprock High School. During his tenure there, he established a well-respected program and led the Lady Longhorns to the playoffs for the first time in twenty years. At the same time that he was finishing up his Master’s degree in Education and gaining his Principal’s Certification, he coached at Wayland Baptist University till the end of his professional career. After moving back to Amarillo, Chris found work teaching sixth grade at Travis Middle School.

Before taking over as principal at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, he worked at Palo Duro High School for a decade, first as an assistant principle and then as an associate principal. Chris’s height was astounding at seven feet, and he possessed a heart that was just as big. He had a flair for developing relationships with even the most difficult children, which he used to his advantage while mentoring young people and leading groups of them. His greatest talent was the capacity to breathe new life into anybody he came in contact with through his words.

Chris had the ability to see the best in others and inspire them to go far beyond what they thought was possible. On the other hand, the most rewarding aspect of Chris’ coaching and teaching career was being able to guide and watch his own two children, not just in life but also in basketball. Working one-on-one with each of his children, coaching their club and Kids Inc. teams, and watching them compete in the sport he cherished brought him a tremendous deal of happiness.

Chris was a very involved member of Hillside Christian Church, where he also served as the leader of a small group for middle school boys. He served the Lord with zeal and devotion. Additionally, Chris was very involved in the March of Dimes in memory of his late son, Ethan Russ, who was a huge supporter of the organization. In the tradition established by his family, he joined the Texas Masonic Lodge in Amarillo and became a member there. Chris was also a part of a band called The Royals, and his nickname in that group was Tall Pockets.

He cherished the time he got to spend with this group. He volunteered and coached with Kids Inc. and was also a mentor for many young adults. In his leisure time, he would attend the activities of his own children as well as those of his many cherished students. Chris cherished his family beyond anything else in his life. He was a fantastic husband, father, son, and brother in addition to being a good friend. Mountain vacations were some of Chris’s favorite times to spend with his family.

He was always up for a dance party, and he had the gift of making people laugh and smile. He always made sure to give his kids his undivided attention. They shared long talks full of advice and wisdom, and he always encouraged them to be independent thinkers. When things were hard, he found a way to turn it around and make things fun; finding humor in everything. He stressed to both his wife and kids the importance of preparing them to think positively through life’s ups and downs and would often quote, “We have to prepare our kids for the path and not the path for our kids.” He also stressed the importance of valuing relationships, building others up, and doing our best to make a difference in someone’s life every single day.

One of the biggest lessons Chris worked to instill in his family is that it’s not about you or me, it’s about how we can serve others and share God’s love. Chris talked about his faith and the importance of having a relationship with Jesus. Chris didn’t just talk about these things, but he modeled them through his words, thoughts and actions. This ministry was seen, even in the last five months when Chris was battling for his life on earth. Chris’ favorite nurse, Rachel, talked about her heart growing in the time she spent with him.

He showed grace and boldness that was a testament to his unwavering faith in the Lord. Chris fought a long and hard battle and is now restored and made whole in Jesus. Chris is preceded in death by his son, Ethan Russ Paddock and his father, Max Paddock. Chris is survived by his wife of 22 years, Misty Paddock; their beautiful children, Hadley Beth and Hayden Russ Paddock; his mother Pamelia Paddock; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Dan Dudley and Jan Dudley; his two brothers-in-law, Todd Dudley and wife Lauren, and Tim Dudley; his sister-in-law, Juanita Arzola; his niece and nephews, Sophie Dudley and Quinn and Eli Dudley; his cousins and uncle.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Paddock Family account at Happy State Bank, or to the Paddock Family account at GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/arqhx-paddock-family). Memorials may also be made to March of Dimes, an organization close to the family’s heart (marchofdimes.org).