Memorial for Chris Zahniser

Christopher “Z” Zahniser died suddenly Sunday October 1st, 2023 at his Forest Grove home. He was 46 years old. Cause of death was determined to have been an aortic aneurysm and cardiac tamponade.

Chris was known for being determined and passionate. A 23 year employee of Intel, he was one of the rare technicians who made the jump to engineering. Working in Metals and Life Safety, Chris was a consummate problem solver who would doggedly focus on problems until they were resolved. He enjoyed his most recent position as a Life Safety Engineer; he happily learned many new skills to support his engineering team.

At home, he was enthusiastic about many hobbies, most famously Star Wars. He enjoyed running Star Wars roleplaying games for his friends and family, as well as being a player in other’s games. He loved to create original costumes for cosplay and was a regular attendee of Portland’s Rose City Comic Con. This year, he achieved a long held goal and attended San Diego Comic Con for the first time with his family.

In addition to the costuming arts, Chris was passionate about martial arts. Chris studied Kempo karate and Wu Shi Dao under Masters Uriel Villa and Warren Allen respectively. This year he achieved his 3rd degree black belts in both arts. For the last two years, Chris had been teaching Kempo karate out of his home to close friends. Always looking for more things to learn, Chris recently enrolled in a local Jiu-Jitsu school.

Chris will be loved and missed by many. He is preceded in death by his mother Connie and aunt Lynda and father figure Howard. He is survived by his partner-in-crime of 15 years, Sarah Zahniser; their sons, Zack and Cai; his father and step-mother, Stephen and Paula of Boise, ID; his aunts, Mary Ellen Mueller of Sacramento, CA and Val Sewald of Kihei, HI; his uncle and aunt, Patrick and Deb Puckett of Weldon, CA; his sister, Jessica of Keizer, OR; his sister and brother-in-law, Amy and Rick Harris also of Keizer, OR; his sister in spirit and her husband, Doris and Kenny Carlisle of CA; his nephews, Jake and Liam; and his nieces, Echo and Elysia.

Z was always willing to step in and help those around him. Many of you have asked how you can help his family. Every donation will help his wife and two boys immensely, along with helping to cover funeral expenses, initiate education funds for the kids, and other costs moving forward.