Christopher Russ Paddock

 

Christopher Russ Paddock, 48, of Amarillo, Texas, went home to his Lord and Savior, August 11, 2023.

A celebration of Chris’ life will be held at 3:00 PM, Sunday, August 27, 2023, at Hillside Christian Church-West Campus, 6100 S. Soncy Rd, Amarillo, Texas with Alan Keister and Craig Albracht officiating. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors. The family requests that you wear his favorite color blue or your Team Paddock shirt.

Chris was born October 5, 1974, in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Max and Pamelia Paddock. He graduated from Cooper High School in 1993 and was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American basketball player. Chris then went on to follow his love of basketball at the University of Colorado Boulder his freshman year of college and finished his basketball career out at the University of New Mexico Albuquerque where they won the Western Athletic Conference Championship. There he was also a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Chris then obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from McMurray in Abilene, and he also received his Master’s in Education at Wayland Baptist University. While in Abilene, Chris met the love of his life, Misty Dudley, and they later married in Hereford, Texas on June 30, 2001. They had three beautiful children together, Hadley Beth, Ethan Russ, and Hayden Russ.

At a young age, Chris enjoyed fishing and hunting with his dad, Max. This passion for the outdoors continued on throughout his adult life with trips to the mountains with family. Chris loved to make his mother, Pam, laugh with various accents, jokes and so much more. Chris was very involved in his church youth group. He fell in love with the game of basketball at a very young age. He was drawn to finding older competitors to challenge him and make him better at his craft. Chris attributed so many of the life lessons he learned to the game of basketball.

Chris was a coach for over 10 years at various levels. He began his coaching career at Fannin Middle School, then moved on to the Varsity Assistant and JV coach for the boys’ basketball program at Caprock High School. Chris then moved to head coach of the girls’ basketball program at Caprock High School, where he built a reputable program and took the Lady Longhorns to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. He finished out his professional coaching career at Wayland Baptist University while earning his Master’s in Education and receiving a Principal’s Certification. Chris returned to Amarillo, getting hired at Travis Middle School. He was an assistant and associate principal at Palo Duro High School for 10 years before becoming the principal at Sleepy Hollow Elementary. Chris stood at a shocking 7 feet tall and had the heart to match. He found great joy in leading and mentoring young people and had a gift of forming relationships with even the hardest of kids. His biggest gift was the ability to speak life into whomever he came into contact with. Chris saw the good in all people and encouraged them to reach far beyond their potential. However, Chris’ highest coaching and teaching honor was getting to lead and watch his two children not only in life but also in basketball. He found great joy in coaching their club and Kids Inc. teams, working individually with his kids, and watching them play the game he loved.

Chris was an active member at Hillside Christian Church and led a middle school boys’ small group. He was passionate about the Lord. Chris also played an active role in the March of Dimes, honoring the life of his late son, Ethan Russ. He was a member of the Texas Masonic Lodge of Amarillo following in the footsteps of his grandfather. Chris was also a member of The Royals, where his member name was Tall Pockets. He loved spending time with this group. He volunteered and coached with Kids Inc. and was also a mentor for many young adults.  He spent his spare time attending events of his own children and his various beloved students.

Chris loved his family more than anything. He was a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, and friend. Chris loved to go on trips to the mountains with his family. He was always up for a dance party, and he had the gift of making people laugh and smile. He was a listening ear to his children. They shared long talks full of advice and wisdom, and he always encouraged them to be independent thinkers. When things were hard, he found a way to turn it around and make things fun; finding humor in everything. He stressed to both his wife and kids the importance of preparing them to think positively through life’s ups and downs and would often quote, “We have to prepare our kids for the path and not the path for our kids.” He also stressed the importance of valuing relationships, building others up, and doing our best to make a difference in someone’s life every single day. One of the biggest lessons Chris worked to instill in his family is that it’s not about you or me, it’s about how we can serve others and share God’s love.

Chris talked about his faith and the importance of having a relationship with Jesus. Chris didn’t just talk about these things, but he modeled them through his words, thoughts and actions. This ministry was seen, even in the last five months when Chris was battling for his life on earth. Chris’ favorite nurse, Rachel, talked about her heart growing in the time she spent with him. He showed grace and boldness that was a testament to his unwavering faith in the Lord. Chris fought a long and hard battle and is now restored and made whole in Jesus.

Chris is preceded in death by his son, Ethan Russ Paddock and his father, Max Paddock.

Chris is survived by his wife of 22 years, Misty Paddock; their beautiful children, Hadley Beth and Hayden Russ Paddock; his mother Pamelia Paddock; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Dan Dudley and Jan Dudley; his two brothers-in-law, Todd Dudley and wife Lauren, and Tim Dudley; his sister-in-law, Juanita Arzola; his niece and nephews, Sophie Dudley and Quinn and Eli Dudley; his cousins and uncle.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Paddock Family account at Happy State Bank, or to the Paddock Family account at GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/arqhx-paddock-family). Memorials may also be made to March of Dimes, an organization close to the family’s heart (marchofdimes.org).