Chris Bergeron KD7SYF Memorial
KD7SYF
How do you even begin to talk about Chris Bergeron!� especially under circumstances like this. I never expected this.
If I was ever going to have to talk about Chris I expected it to be toasting him at his wedding. Or telling a funny story about him at an awards ceremony or something like that.
Christian Scott Bergeron was my best friend. People use the term �best friend� so loosely these days. But Chris, I could truly say, was my best friend. Chris understood me. Chris accepted me for who I am and never asked me to change a thing about myself. (Except that I quit smoking.) But that was because he truly cared about me.
There is nothing in this world that he would not have done for me if it was within his power. He loved me as a brother and I loved him as a brother.
You had to be real with Chris because he could see right through your bull and he wasn�t afraid to call you on it. Chris was real with everyone he met and only expected the same in return. Chris was a true friend� a loyal friend. I always knew in my heart that he would always be there for me through thick and thin.
But Chris wasn�t only like that with me, He was like that with everyone he met. If you were �real� with him and opened up to him he would give his ALL to you. I could trust my life in Chris' hands.
I trusted Chris with my wife and children�s lives. We may not have been born to the same mother, but Christian Scott Bergeron was my Brother!
Chris could always make you smile, partly because Chris was always smiling. I don�t think I ever saw a frown on his face, not even in the toughest of times. He always smiled and he always made the best out of every situation. With Chris the glass was always �half full� never �half empty�.
There was one thing that did get to Chris and make him unhappy. And that was when he saw people not treating each other well. Chris loved people, and he believed that the human spirit is good. He believed that with a little education and a little faith people could be good to each other.
Chris taught me the value of friendship, he taught me how to be a little bit kinder and a little more trusting with people.
He taught me how to live life a little bit fuller. But more important than anything else that Chris taught me, he taught me faith. You see, when I met Chris I was almost completely �faithless�.
I knew there was a God of some kind out there, but I had no faith in God�s love for me. I didn�t believe in any type of afterlife. I believed that when we die it�s over.
Chris was a man of great faith. He believed that God is compassionate. He believed that God is loving. He believed that we all have a place in God�s Kingdom if we only believe.
Chris and I used to sit on the CB radio for hours on end reading passages from the bible out load. I was doing it just to piss people off And I believed at the time that Chris was to. But now I know why Chris was doing it. He was doing it with me to educate me.
I didn�t know at the time that I was getting anything out of it other than tying some people�s panties up in a knot, but I was. Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, I was learning that God DOES love me� that God DOES have other plans for me in this life� and in the afterlife. I was gaining a little more faith - faith that I once had, but had lost at a very young age.
One day Chris and I were sitting in my shack talking about life, love, friendship and faith. Chris knew what my views were about God and an after-life. But there was something I hadn�t told him before� something that I had told no one else other than my wife.
I WAS AFRAID! Afraid to die, SCARED TO DEATH!
When I told Chris about my fear, he was quick to assure me that there was nothing to fear� that God loved me and wanted me to be with him. He assured me that God has something wonderful for me in the afterlife. In that conversation I asked Chris that should he happened to die before me� if there really was an afterlife� and if it were at all possible� to please come to me and give me a sign.
Chris made me that promise. And Chris kept that promise!
Most of you, if not all of you, have already heard the story of how Chris kept that promise to me, but here, today, I will tell it again.
Three days after hearing of Chris' passing I was taking a shower and feeling pretty darn sorry for myself� feeling pretty alone. I was sitting on my pity-pot. My mind was pretty much a blank, when, just for a second, a thought of Chris came to my mind. And in that second my whole body was overtaken by the warmest most loving feeling I have ever felt in my life and I had millions of butterflies in my stomach.
I knew instantly it was Chris. Not in my ears, but in my mind and in my heart, I heard Chris' voice. First thing he said was, "I love you, Brother and I will always be with you."
I answered back, " I love you too, bro."
He said "I didn�t do this on purpose. It was an accident. Get rid of the pain pills! They are what killed me!"
I answered back "I promise."
Then Chris said to me, "Stop smoking, bro, you don�t need it anymore!"
Again I answered back "I promise, bro, but you need to give me a few days on that one." and I laughed� and I could hear Chris laughing with me.
Then he said to me again, "I will always be here with you. Listen to me and follow me and I will show you the right path."
I answered back, "I promise, bro." And then, as quickly as he came to me he was gone, and the instant he was gone I almost collapsed right there in the shower as if every bit of energy was drained from me; yet I felt better. I felt total love in my heart and I felt free.
I broke down crying and got out of the shower. I went upstairs to my wife and told her what had happened and I saw tears come to her eyes.
So there I sat on the edge of the bed for about an hour crying. Those of you who know me know that I�m not a crying kinda guy. Over the next couple of days, little things happened� like I would be driving down the road and suddenly I would feel Chris' presence� and he would say, "Check your oil, bro."
And I would laugh at him and say, "OK, bro, I will." Or I would be sitting around watching TV and I could feel his presence in the room and that was all. But sometimes we held prolonged conversation s like the one in the shower. I could feel him and I could hear him.
I started to wonder if I was losing it and asked my wife if I was going insane. But that question seemed to answer itself. I wasn�t going insane. There IS an afterlife� and Chris was keeping his word and proving it to me.
My birthday was January 15th. On January 13th I received a package in the mail from my mother. As soon as I saw that the package was from my Mother I thought, another sweater.
Ever since I can remember, my mother has always given me a sweater for my birthday and Christmas. So I opened the package. I reached in and pulled out a Pendleton shirt. I don�t wear Pendletons, and I never have� and my mother certainly has never bought me one. Now this Pendleton shocked me because it was exactly like the ones that Chris wore all the time. Mine and my wife�s eyes both widened and an eerie feeling came over us both.
There was something else in the package. (Now understand, my mother knows NOTHING about ham radio.) I reached in the package and pulled out another shirt. This one was a dark blue shirt. Those of you who knew Chris well knew that Chris always wore a dark blue or black shirt underneath his Pendleton. But this shirt had a message on it! On the shoulder of the shirt in big block numerals was the number 73.
Now for those of you with no faith, try and take that with a grain of salt. More has happened during the coarse of the last couple of weeks, but it would take the rest of the day to tell you all the story's of how Chris has been working through me.
If Chris Bergeron touched your life at all during his time on earth or since his passing I hope you can take with you today a sense of peace, a more gentle heart, a little faith, and I pray that each and every one of you can some day have for yourselves the rare once in a lifetime experience of a true deep friendship like Chris and I shared together. A friendship that is caring, trusting safe and comes with unconditional love and respect.
I guess what it comes down to is, as I said in the beginning, Christian Scott Bergeron was and is my best friend. I am grateful for the time that I was graced with his physical presence. I am grateful for his spirit that will be with me for the rest of my days on God�s earth.
And now, instead of being fearful, I look forward with great anticipation for the day when I will join Chris in God�s kingdom� where I know he will be waiting for me with open arms and a big hug for his Brother.
73, Chris� I love you bro!
KD7SYF Chris
Christian Scott Bergeron Was born in August 8th 1965. He was the youngest of two Children. Born on the East coast He moved to Venice California at a young age. As A young adult Chris Moved to Hawaii where he met The love of his life and became the Father of a beautiful little girl Breanna Bergeron. Breanna was the light of his life. A Professional surfer. Chris made the cover of body board magazine in September of 1999. In early 2000 Chris moved to Tacoma Washington where he became a A.S.E. certified Mechanic.
I met Chris in late 2000 Via The C.B. Radio. We quickly became the best of friends. I immediately saw great potential in Chris and talked him into studying for his Amateur Radio operators license. He got his Technician ticket and started studying for his general ticket.
Chris moved to Monterey California in the early winter of 2002, To be close to his Daughter. Chris and I stayed in touch on a daily basis via the I.R.L.P. Chris upgraded to General class operator soon after moving to Monterey Forcing me to get on the ball and study for my upgrade. Soon we both had our general tickets, But unfortunately found ourselves at the end of the 11 year cycle and never made contact on the H.F. bands, Although we tried daily. Chris loved Amateur Radio and Radio in general. After his daughter it was his passion.
Chris was found dead in his apartment on December 21st 2003. He had passed on due to an accidental overdose of his prescribed pain medication following a failed back surgery. He will be missed deeply!
Chris's Radio equipment was donated to me by his Mother and Brother and I have erected a memorial station in his honor with all of his gear. The station is located in my home in the room that Chris used to live in. Our address is 2023 s. 8th st.
Tacoma Wa.
98405
The station is open for public use Every weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am till 7:00 pm. Longer if there is a contest on that weekend. Hope to see you all here.
73
Jud Morris
kd7qyu
Chris's best friend
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