Christopher Stiriz Bustard

Christopher Stiriz Bustard passed away suddenly on December 29, 2022 after being hit by a car during a neighborhood run in Sarasota, FL. He was 34. Chris was born in Mt Kisco, NY on July 12, 1988 and grew up in Sarasota, FL. He attended Pine View School from 2nd through 12th grades, making lifelong friends there. During high school, he rowed for Sarasota Crew and ran cross country for Sarasota High School. Chris rowed in a 2006 state championship boat for Sarasota Crew. Chris attended Dartmouth College, his Dad's alma mater, and graduated in 2010 and 2011 with a BA and BE degrees in Engineering and completed his Master of Engineering Management degree at Dartmouth in 2014 before beginning a career in digital healthcare. Chris loved Dartmouth, especially spending time in the White Mountains with the Dartmouth Outing Club Woodsmen's Team and working on Dartmouth’s Trail Crew, maintaining portions of the Appalachian Trail, during the summer. He was a member of the crew team and an active brother in the AXA fraternity. He minored in Music and played bassoon in the Dartmouth Wind Ensemble. Chris met his wife, Kate Lyon Bustard, also a Dartmouth alum, at Dartmouth in 2013. They were engaged at the top of Mt Moosilauke in New Hampshire’s White Mountains in 2016 and married in Hanover, NH in 2017. In 2021 they moved back to the Connecticut River’s Upper Valley, their happy place, shortly after the birth of their son Theodore (Teddy) in April 2021. Chris was known for his mental and physical toughness (Chris called it being 'stubborn'). He finished nine 100 mile Ultramarathons and, in 2019, he completed the 220+ mile Tor Des Geants endurance race in northern Italy, one of the most difficult ultra marathons in the world. In early December he was selected by lottery for the Western States Endurance run in June 2023, a life bucket list race for him. Chris immersed himself in his passions, including coffee, cars, endurance running, backcountry skiing, Skimo (ski mountaineering) racing, and gravel biking. He loved winter and was an excellent skier, despite growing up in Florida and not learning to ski until his freshman year of college. He loved cats, especially black cats, and would stop to pet random cats during runs. He loved being a dad and he and Teddy had a special bond. Teddy wanted to do anything Chris did - whether it was loading logs in to the woodstove or riding a bike. Some nights Teddy couldn't sleep unless it was on Chris's shoulder. The day he rented Teddy's first pair of skis was one of the proudest of Chris's life. He was also a fan of dad jokes, long before he became a dad. He wanted to be an organ donor and his heart and other organs were on their way to help others live at the time of his passing. He is survived by his parents, David and Elaine Bustard of Sarasota, FL, his wife, Kate Lyon, and son Teddy Bustard, of Lebanon, NH. Chris was a wonderful person…a great husband, father, son, and friend. He will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved him. A Celebration of Life is planned for Spring 2023 in New Hampshire.

Tributes

Christopher Stiriz Bustard

July 12, 1988 - December 29, 2022