Christopher Keith Grabill, the son of James Garland and Jane Mari (Sklenar) Grabill, was born on March 4, 1975, at the Audubon County Memorial Hospital in Audubon, Iowa and died on August 1, 2024, at his home in Plumas Lake, California at the age of 49 years.
Chris was baptized on April 6, 1975, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon, Iowa. In 1980, the family moved from Audubon, Iowa to Ames, Iowa where Chris attended elementary school while his father attended Iowa State University. In 1983, the family moved to Palm Bay, Florida, where Chris enjoyed watching space shuttle launches and finished elementary school. In 1987, the family moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Chris attended junior high and high school. As a youth, Chris enjoyed skateboarding, movies, and cars. He had “cool” part-time jobs, like his first one at Video Selections. This enabled him to buy his first Porsche. As a teen, Chris developed lifelong friendships with a tight-knit group of guys that became like family over the years. Following his junior year of high school, Chris spent the summer attending Army basic training for the Indiana National Guard. It was the start of a long military career. He then graduated from Carroll High School in Fort Wayne with the Class of 1993.
Following high school graduation, Chris studied electronics at ITT Technical Institute in Fort Wayne. In 1997, he transferred to the Indiana Air National Guard full-time. In the 122nd Fighter Wing, Chris served as a Network Operations Specialist and later the Base Multimedia Manager. In 2001, he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Trine University in Fort Wayne.
In 2003, Chris applied to the U.S. Navy to become an active duty Naval Flight Officer. He was accepted and completed Officer Candidate School and flight training programs. Chris’ father had the honor of pinning his wings during the winging ceremony and his brother Adam, a member of the Indiana Air National Guard, gave him his first salute as a Naval Officer. This new chapter brought more friends into his life and added another best friend for the years to follow.
In 2007, while deployed at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, Chris met his future wife Elizabeth and her daughter, Aleacia. On New Year’s Eve 2010, Chris and Liz returned from Misawa Air Base, Japan and celebrated their marriage with family and friends. While in Japan, Chris and Liz found an incredible group of friends with the same sense of fun and adventure. They embraced the experience and explored all there was to offer. They were great hosts and tour guides for visiting friends and family.
As a US Naval Flight Officer, Chris served initially as a Tactical Coordinator and then Mission Commander on a P-3C Orion, a land-based, long-range anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft. In this role Chris served all over the world: Jacksonville, Florida – Sicily, Italy – Djibouti, Africa – Iraq – Misawa, Japan – Whidbey Island, Washington – Okinawa, Japan – Pensacola, Florida – San Diego, California. Chris was involved in land-based patrol operations in Iraq, seeking out drug-running submarines between South America and Central America, coordinating operations and training exercises with the Australian Air Force, and conducting search and rescue missions following the tsunami in Japan. Chris’ last assignment in the Navy was in San Diego, where he served as Director of Operations, Theatre Anti-Submarine Warfare Training and Assessment. Chris retired as a Lieutenant Commander on November 1, 2021.
Chris lit up a room when he walked into it. He was funny and engaging, with the unique ability to put a humorous spin on anything. He was a Mason at one time, following in the footsteps of his Grandpa Joe, Uncle Jim, and cousin Taylor. Chris enjoyed woodworking, building lightsabers and droids, acquiring collectible G.I. Joe and Transformers, fixing cars, collecting watches, and more. He always had a long list of projects in the works. He could sew anything: patches on uniforms, leather wallets, screen-accurate cosplay for Comic Con, and even t-shirt quilts. His first quilt was “spot-on amazing!” per his mom, a fellow quilter. He loved vintage cars, including Porsche, Mercedes, and Ferrari. He was a great cook and enjoyed making homemade pizzas for family and friends. He also prided himself on perfecting his Grandma Marilyn’s peanut butter ball recipe. As one of his friends said, Chris “dabbled” in a lot of things and was good at everything he tried. Chris was a huge movie buff and Star Wars superfan. He was a LEGO Master and a big kid at heart. He loved music, collecting vinyl records, and guitars. Chris loved his dogs, Mercedes and Chewbacca (aka Chewie), they were his babies.
When Chris married Liz, he gained a daughter. He came into their lives with a smile and naturally had Dad jokes. He used his patience and love of math to tutor both Liz and Aleacia when needed. He taught Aleacia to drive stick shift, helped get her started with college, was her climbing buddy to the top of Mt. Fuji, help her adult after college, cosplayed Daddy and Daughter Han Solo, taught her how to woodwork, nerded out on all things Sci-Fi, and made family trips fun. Chris was not just a Stepdad to Aleacia, but in truth he was her Dad-Dad. He gave his whole heart.
In Liz, Chris found an instant connection. She always said that Chris made her weak at the knees and knew he was the one because of their mutual love of Star Wars and everything Sci-Fi and Fantasy. They embraced their inner child together and always said yes to all the toys. They traveled the world, laughed a lot, successfully navigated many military separations, supported each other, and enjoyed each other’s company most of all.
Preceding him in death were his grandparents, Joe and Ruby Sklenar of Audubon, Iowa, and Marilyn Grabill of Audubon, Iowa; Uncle Joe Sklenar, Jr. of Tiffin, Iowa.
Christopher is survived by his wife Elizabeth Santiago Grabill of Plumas Lake, California; his stepdaughter Aleacia Miller of Pensacola, Florida; his grandfather Keith Grabill of Audubon, Iowa; his parents Jim and Jane Grabill of Leo, Indiana; his sister Cami Grabill and her son Ethan of Fort Wayne, Indiana; his brother Adam and wife Emily Grabill and their children Haley and Keith of Fort Wayne, Indiana; aunts and uncles, Julie Rasmussen of Exira, Iowa, Betsy and Doug Carter of Audubon, Iowa, Kent and Joyce Grabill of Audubon, Iowa, John and Virlee Sklenar of Carroll, Iowa, Jim and Tami Sklenar of Treynor, Iowa, Jean and Jerry Johnson of Polk City, Iowa, and many cousins, other relatives, and lifelong friends.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 23, 2024, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon, with Pastor Chris Townsend officiating. Visitation will be held one hour before the funeral, also at the church on Friday. A luncheon will follow the funeral service.
Memorials may be directed to the Grabill Family in memory of Christopher. They may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 201, Audubon, IA 50022.
Funeral services are handled with the Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Audubon, IA.
