The memorial bench was my sister's idea, and we had many family discussions about what to put on the plaque, but eventually we opted for simplicity:

Chris loved Zeppelin, and the above, from “Stairway to Heaven,” made sense given where we placed the bench: in south Minneapolis, between Dupont Avenue and Girard Avenue, amid the thin woods on the south side of Minnehaha Creek. It's a spot both shady and sunny. He loved the Dupont Bridge but it already had its share of benches, so we went further west, closer to John Burroughs Elementary School, which we attended in the late 1960s and early 1970s. We usually took the alleys to and from school, but if we hadn't, if we'd walked by the creek, we would've passed this spot.

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed: Adam, Kristin, Daniel, Stuart, David, Deb, Dean, Karen, Brenda, Sullivan, Peter, Ward, Margaret, Becky, Elaine and David. Also: Charles, Robert, Michelle, Katy and Kevin, Abby, Ruth, Anastacia, Paul, Jessica, Elisabeth, Becky, Brooke, Chris, Jeffrey, Kermit Susan and Tod, Bruce and Shannon, Marj, Karen, Cliff, Randy, Derek and Suzanne, Lynn and Jon, Margaret, Sandy, Jon and Leslie, Karl, Rita, Stacy, Latricia, Mike, Barb, Peter, Debbie, Michael, Amy, Lisa, Karen, William, Frank and Peggy, Ray and Gloria, Kay, Robert, Ruth, Tom, Cindy, Ruth and DaveMary Ellen, Peg and Kris, Marilyn, Annette and Peg.

Much love.

Photo by Deborah Ellis.