Racine – Christopher Harrison Edwards, age 55, of Racine, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully at Wheaton Franciscan Medical Center, Racine on March 11, 2012 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.  He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 19, 1956 to Peter G. and Joan D. Edwards.  Christopher was raised in Gambier, Ohio and attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

In 1977 his family moved east to Massachusetts, and Christopher spent several wonderful years working as a carpenter with his cousin Tim Gillespie in Westport Massachusetts.  He fondly remembered this as one of the happiest times of his life.  On June 14, 1980, he was united in marriage to Barbara "Beth" Stockwell at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in New Britain, Connecticut. In 1982, he returned to college and studied computer programming at Southeastern Massachusetts University, now UMass Dartmouth.  In 1995, he moved his family to Wisconsin to begin work with a small engineering company called Automation Engineering in Racine, Wisconsin, now known as TriCore, Inc.  He worked at this company until the time of his death.

Perhaps the most enduring legacy that he leaves his family is his love for Curly Rocks, the family's summer cottage on a little island in Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada, where they summered every year.  For many years, Christopher was a faithful member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Racine, but in 2010 he began a journey to become a member of the Roman Catholic faith.  He and his wife Beth became members of St. Lucy's Catholic Church in April, 2011.

Family left to cherish Christopher's memory include his wife of 31 years, Beth; their two children, daughter Jessica, and son William, both of Milwaukee; mother Joan Edwards of Columbus, Ohio; brother Jonathan (Beth Anne) Edwards and nephew and niece Bateman and Alexandra Edwards, all of Leverkusen, Germany; sister-in-law Susan (Nicholas) Fletcher of Austin, Texas; and father-in-law Francis Stockwell of Austin, Texas.  He is further survived by many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins.  He was preceded in death by his father, Peter G. Edwards, and mother-in-law, Laurel Stockwell.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Lucy's Catholic Church (3101 Drexel Avenue) at 11:00 o'clock on Friday, March 16, 2012, with Rev. Mark Jones and Rev. Sean Granger concelebrating.  Relatives and friends may meet with the family Thursday, March 15, 2012 from 4 until 7 p.m. in the funeral home; or Friday in the church beginning at 10 a.m. Memorials have been suggested to the family, or to Froedtert Hospital Foundation, 9200 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53226.

The family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude and appreciation for the many fine physicians at Froedtert Hospital who helped Christopher throughout his illness, and the wonderful caring staff of Wheaton Franciscan Home Health and Hospice, especially nurses Mary and Barb.