In Memory

Chris Booth - Class Of 1965

DECEASED ALUM:  CHRIS BOOTH, FHHS '65

Obituary for Arthur Christian ‘Chris’ Booth, Jr.

Chris Booth passed away on Thursday, Feb. 16 at Froedtert South Hospital in Kenosha, Wis. After enduring severely limited mobility from a spinal cord injury for 20 months, he passed into his eternal home with his savior, Jesus Christ.

Chris Booth
Chris Booth

Chris was born in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 20, 1947, to the late Arthur & Maynetta (Shade) Booth. He grew up in Alexandria, Va., where he played sports including football, baseball, and basketball. Chris attended the University of Tennessee where he earned a degree in business and transportation. He also later received a degree from the Wharton Business School. During his time at the University of Tennessee, he fell in love with Patti, who would go on to become the love of his life. Following a five-year courtship, they married in 1971 in Arlington, Va.

Chris was a thriving and accomplished entrepreneur who held positions at Carnation, STP, Western Publishing, Activision, and Timeworks throughout his career. Within the first 11 years, Chris and Patti relocated seven times to pursue promotions and new opportunities, each change occurring roughly every two years. However, God eventually led Chris and his family to settle in Racine, Wis. When Chris’s job responsibilities shifted once again, he decided to stay in Wisconsin to ensure his family could remain rooted. Additionally, this allowed Patti to establish, nurture, and lead Bible Study Fellowship in Racine. He even commuted more than an hour for a decade to honor his family and God.

Thirty-two years ago, Chris established two companies – Commitment Marketing, a marketing consultancy, and CCB Technology, a software reseller – in the basement of their home. Chris’s aspiration to extend educational pricing to churches and non-profit organizations led him and Patti to co-found CCB Technology, where he assumed the position of CEO/President for 22 years until his son Patrick took over in 2013.

While CCB Technology has received many awards, Chris’s proudest achievement was its ability to assist over 40,000 churches, ministries, and non-profit organizations, saving them millions of dollars in the process. Chris played a crucial role in creating charity pricing for major software companies such as Microsoft and Adobe. Chris eventually dissolved Commitment Marketing due to the growth and potential of CCB Technology.

Chris and Patti had two children, Kristin (born in South Carolina) and Patrick (born in Texas). The couple has been very active within the Racine community, particularly in the realm of ministry work. Chris’s love and devotion to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ were evident throughout his life. For nearly 42 years, he and Patti have been members of Grace Church in Racine, and together, they established and managed a marina ministry that held worship services for boaters for 25 years at Reef Point Marina.

Over the years, they have served and supported numerous ministries and missionaries, and Chris actively served as a Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, and elder in his church. He also served on many boards, councils, and as chairman of Youth for Christ in Racine. Chris was known to share the gospel of Jesus regularly with anyone anywhere, and God used him to impact countless lives throughout his life.

Chris was energetic and full of life. He had a larger-than-life personality, and always made an impression wherever he went. He was a thinker, planner, visionary and entrepreneur. He was a lover of boating, motorcycles, history, and trivia among many other things. Chris intentionally chose hobbies that he could share with his wife and family. He especially enjoyed boating with Patti, his family, and friends on Lake Michigan in Wisconsin and on Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee where they purposely purchased a second home so they could invest their time with all their grandchildren in Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Chris will be dearly missed by his wife of nearly 52 years, Patti Booth, his daughter Kristin (James) Hodgin, and son Patrick (Lori) Booth. He was the proud grandfather of seven grandchildren whom he loved and supported very much: Colin, Hannah, Clayton and Hudson Hodgin; Isabella, Jackson and Landon Booth. He was dearly loved by his brother-in-law Gary (Diane) Taul, his nieces Shannon (Paul) Meccuci, Sherri (Tim) Burke, his great nephews and great nieces, and his beloved cousins and their families.

Services

A Celebration of Life honoring Chris and his Lord will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, at Grace Church, 3626 Hwy 31, Racine, Wis. Relatives and friends are also invited to meet with Chris’s family for visitation from 2 to 4 p.m. The family will have a private burial in Virginia.

Memorial gifts in honor of Chris can be given to Youth For ChristJesus Film, or Grace Church. The family extends many thanks to everyone who has prayed for and supported them while Chris has been at Brookside Care Center in Kenosha, Wis. A big thank you to the Brookside staff for their love and care shown to Chris.

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Arthur Christian Booth please visit the Sturino Funeral Home Sympathy Store.

Obituary and photo courtesy of Sturino Funeral Home.