Chris Yeates left us Monday, June 30th due to a tragic fall while hiking in Austria with his friends and classmates. Chris graduated from Park City High School on June 6th, 2008 and planned to attend the University of Utah fall 2008.
Chris loved life; he lived fully. He loved skiing, playing volleyball and throwing Frisbees at the park, and bragging that his speakers cost more than his car. Chris lived by the motto, “I’m a lover, not a fighter”. He sensed when friends and family were in need and he was there for all of us. He never cared about the drama of high school. He was devoted to those he considered his friends and loyally supported them with hugs, laughs, and smiles. One of his friends said, “In all the time I’ve known ‘Yeates’, I’ve never had a bad time with him”.
Some of Chris’s best times were on road trips with friends to Arizona and San Diego, canyoneering with family in Moab, river rafting with his ‘Pop’, or just hanging out with friends. His biggest desire was to explore the continents and his trip to Europe was the first of many he was planning. He was so excited to travel abroad and thoroughly enjoyed the first part of his trip to Belgium, Germany, Poland and Austria. He died on a magnificent mountain surrounded by some of his closest friends. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t miss him.
