Chris was not a member of the Montana 4x4 Association but he was a fellow wheeler and Montanan. Our most sincere condolences to his family and all who knew him.
Montana Back Roads 4x4 Club will be providing a honor procession for off roader Chris Hower who died recently in Moab, UT. The funeral will be Monday, April 13, 1 pm, at the Missoula Veteran's Cemetery on Tower Street. The more 4x4 vehicles the better....we will be lining up in the parking lot at 12:30 pm.
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Christopher Mac Hower
MCGILL, Nev. – The four-letter word that always caught his attention was: Jeep. Nothing gave him freedom from life’s cares and worries quite like taking the top off his Jeep and allowing the sunshine and wind to caress his skin while going off-road. On March 25, 2015, Christopher Mac Hower, 30, began his final, 10-day Jeeping adventure at Easter Jeep Safari, just south of Moab, Utah. His last days were spent rock crawling, adventuring and, true to his nature, coming to the aid of others. On April 4, 2015, while taking photographs for other participants, Christopher was tragically struck and killed.
This life’s adventures took Chris from one side of the country to the other. He was born on April 28, 1984, in Soda Springs, Idaho. He grew up in the Bitterroot Valley, attended Florence Carlton High School and was a graduate of Trapper Creek Job Corps, where he participated in wildland firefighting. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy and was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he served aboard the USS Lake Erie. Christopher was immensely proud of his service with the military and formed bonds with his comrades that were beyond compare. While there, he met his love, his Jeep.
After the military, Christopher and his two children, Kalli and Elijah, lived in Tennessee where he received his associate degree in the computer sciences field. There, he pursued his passions, hunting, Jeeping and fishing. Life slowly moved him west again, and he lived briefly in Colorado before spending his final year in Ely, Nevada, where he met his fianceé, Sam. Sam and Chris spent the year sharing adventures, trials and tribulations. His most recent adventures included taking Kalli on a daddy-daughter vacation to Niagara Falls, New York, taking Sam and Elijah to Sea World, San Antonio, and losing a finger in a work-related accident. He also spent his free time volunteering for search and rescue and for the McGill, Nevada, Fire Department. He was scheduled to begin ITT Tech’s bachelor's degree program in Norfolk, Virginia, in August.
Those who know him will always remember his smiling face and his giving nature. He was always willing to help others and would do whatever necessary to ensure their needs were met. Christopher made amazing memories for everyone who experienced him. He lived life. He loved life. He wanted nothing more than to help others so that they could find a similar love of life.
Christopher is survived by his fianceé, Sam Verser of Fallon, Nevada; son, Elijah Hower of Ely; daughter Kalli Hower and her mother Taffy Hower of Beckley, West Virginia; parents, Thomas (Christine) Hower of Corvallis and and Marie Hawkins of McGill, Nevada; siblings, Jamie (Erick) Bedwell of Havre and Aubrey Hower and Timothy Hower of Corvallis; and grandparents, Charles Hower of Berwick, Pennsylvania, Esther (Marlan) McCrady of Las Vegas. He is also survived by many aunts, uncles and cousins. He touched the lives of so many others who he considered family, or who considered him family.
Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, April 13, at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Missoula. A celebration of life will follow at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 2512 Sunset Lane, in Missoula.
In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the Christopher Hower Kids Benefit Fund found at gofundme.com/8ctk1w.