Obituary of Christopher N. Judson
Christopher “Chris” Newell Judson, 62, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his wife, Rosio Barrenachea, his dogs, Wallace and Rocky, and his loving family on November 23, 2024 after a challenging battle with cancer. Born on May 20, 1962, to Wilbur T. Judson and Gail (Newell) Judson of Glastonbury, CT. Chris was born with Spina Bifida, resulting in reduced mobility in both legs. While he faced adversity and challenges because of this condition, he never let it slow him down, overcoming these challenges with grace, strength, and a positive attitude.
Chris graduated Glastonbury High School in 1980, then proceeded to attend Porter and Chester Institute in Wethersfield where he graduated with a degree in Drafting. He was an incredible artist, designer, and creator, making this career perfect for him. Many remember Chris from his first job working at his family’s small business: Sparkle Car Wash. Here, he worked with many people who would become his life-long best friends. He kept strong relationships with all of his friends he made along the way, and they proved to be crucial in his last few weeks. They would visit Chris and reminisce on old stories and inside jokes from the past. Chris had an infectious personality, coupled with his famous stories and jokes, notoriously making him the life of the party.
From a young age, his creativity showed when he developed an interest in building models which became a lifelong hobby, continued to the week before his passing. He had a special interest in crafting World War II tanks and airplanes. This hobby became more than that when he opened a model store in Manchester, CT named “Wings and Things.” While he fulfilled a desire to share his love of models with others, he returned to his career and spent over 25 years as a Senior Engineer at General Electric (GE).
Chris had many other passions over the years including dirt-biking, off-roading, wood-working, tractoring around his property, crafting early American furniture, boat-building, kayak-building, duck-hunting, gardening/horticulture, and more. In recent years, he found a love in mastering Italian dishes to share with his friends and family. Chris was most enthusiastic about sailing and the relationships he made at Niantic Bay Yacht Club (NBYC). He sailed Atlantics and Blue Jays in all conditions, from light to “honking” winds. NBYC was Chris’ second home for most of his life where he sailed with his crew on A1, A141, and A129; some of the best friends he had the pleasure of knowing who will continue sailing A129 with their children in honor of Chris.
While Chris was a bachelor for many years, he met his wife Rosio later in his life. They spent time traveling and exploring her home land of Peru. They enjoyed visiting museums, landmarks, four-wheeling adventures, and the beautiful sand dunes just south of Lima. Chris was very lucky to have a family here in the United States along with Rosio’s loving family in Peru.
Chris is survived by his wife of 11 years, Rosio Barrenachea along with his two sisters, Susan & husband Robert Elovich and Carrie & husband Jody Kretzmer, his nephew Peter Elovich and nieces, Kate & husband Oginga Walters, Julia, Victoria, and Alexandria Kretzmer. Chris is also survived by his two beloved labs, Wallace (Wally) and Rocky, as well as his cat, Sammy.
Our family is forever grateful for Alcia Hill and her care team at AA Angels (alciahill@gmail.com) who showed Chris grace and dignity in his final weeks. Chris kept us all laughing right up until the end with Alcia, Sattae, Maria, Eloise and Anntonette keeping his spirits up to prepare him for his next chapter.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 10, 2025 at Buckingham Congregational Church in Glastonbury at 1:00 pm. There will be no calling hours, but everyone is encouraged to attend a Celebration of Chris’s life on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at Niantic Bay Yacht Club, 1 Shore Road, Niantic, CT from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to an organization near and dear to his heart, Niantic Bay Sailing Academy (https://nianticsailing.org) or New England Lab Rescue (https://www.newenglandlabrescue.com).
For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com