Long before Chris died, he said, “I want to be cremated, with no funeral services and no obituary.”
Two out of three isn’t bad. We’d like to honor our husband/father and the best meteorologist in Northern California with some of our favorite memories of him.
From the time Chris Fontana was 9 years old, he was interested in weather and wanted to be a meteorologist. This career prediction came true. Chris graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Meteorology.
His first weather “gig” was with Channel 3 in Sacramento. This was short lived due to the draft. Chris served for four years in the United States Air Force stationed in Abilene, Texas. While there, Chris utilized his weather skills to support the Strategic Air Command. Texas also gave him the opportunity to experience the weather phenomenon of tornadoes, something not often seen in his home state of California. While stationed in Abilene, Chris and Jane Fontana’s children – Scott and Jill – were born.
Following his tenure in the Air Force, Chris was hired by the National Weather Service. He worked as a meteorologist at the weather office in Gresham, Oregon. When a job became available at the weather office in Redding, Chris jumped at the chance to return to California.
Despite his wife’s comments that Redding was “too hot,” they went anyway. Chris began working at the National Weather Service Office in Redding in 1974. This same year, Chris and Jane’s youngest son, Ryan, was born. Chris promoted to the Meteorologist in Charge of the Redding office. The National Weather Service Office in Redding closed in 1996. At this time, Chris became employed as a meteorologist for the US Forest Service. Chris provided his meteorology expertise to these agencies for over 30 years before retiring in 2006.
One of Chris’s favorite things about his job in Redding was the opportunity it presented him to provide forecasts for fire weather. Chris developed a mobile weather unit, often traveling to fires and control burns to provide forecasts and support for the agencies working in fire suppression.
Chris was a dedicated family man; so proud of his three children. Chris was actively involved in his children’s lives. He was the T-ball, basketball and soccer coach for his children’s teams. He was also the cubmaster when his sons were involved in scouts. Chris would often come to his children’s schools to share his weather knowledge with their classes.
Not only did Chris support his kids, he also helped his wife with her window coverings business. When he wasn’t at his office, a fire or coaching, Chris could often be found installing blinds for his wife’s business. Together they ran Westwood Window Coverings for over 37 years.
Chris enjoyed fishing and the many opportunities the northern California area presented him to pursue this. Be it from the shore, on a lake in a boat, or fly fishing in a stream, Chris was an avid angler.
Chris enjoyed woodworking. He became skilled at using his lathe to turn wood. He was very good at making bowls. We still have many of his projects around the house.
Chris became a regular “Old McDonald” upon retirement. He and his wife Jane built their dream house on a little over an acre. They have over 18 different fruit trees. They were even able to grow avocados, something that can be challenging in the Redding area. Chris said their little piece of Redding was located in a “banana belt.” Together they also had a vegetable garden and a koi pond. Both brought Chris great pleasure.
Chris was often contacted by local media when they had questions about weather. Chris provided regular weather reports to www.anewscafe.com and also maintained his own daily weather blog, where he wrote under the name “The Old Forecaster.”
Chris is survived by his wife of 53 years, Jane; his children, Scott and Jill; his brother Perry, and his 94-year-old mother, Janice. Chris was preceded in death by his son, Ryan, and grandson, Mason.
