CHRIS CHAMURIS

1957 - 2021

Chris was taken from us too soon. At the age of 63, on Tuesday February 2, 2021 he passed from an unexpected heart attack.

He grew up in Wappingers Falls to pre-deceased parents William and Patricia, with his two brothers, George and Andreas.

In his early years, Chris was a competitive high school track and cross country runner, setting many individual and team records. While attending Buffalo State, Chris won every road race he entered.

Also, while attending Buffalo State he met, a young woman whom he would soon call “his favorite wife,” Amy. He would tell a story of playing foosball and seeing a “sexy mama” with long flowing hair dancing at the other end of the local bar. They celebrated 39 years of marriage in October of 2020.

Chris would go on to be a devoted and proud father, “three of his favorite children,” Katherine, William and Brianna. He was also a soon to be father-in-law to William’s fiancé, Brianna Rose Bartheld.

Chris devoted much of his life and career to teaching. Some would say, teaching was his love language. He was a pioneer in the field of technology and its incorporation into classrooms across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Chris taught technology education and was the track and field coach at Lawrenceville Middle School from (1979-1997). During his tenure there, he made the transition from teaching shop class to technology and engineering class. He will forever be known for being at the forefront of how we prepare and inspire our children to innovate with technology.

Chris was a writer and the editor of A Framework for the Study of Technology in New Jersey, the first set of technology and engineering education standards published in the state of New Jersey in 1996. The text is still used today at collegiate level. He was an active member for many years and a past president of the Technology Education Association of NJ, now NJTEEA, from 1989-1990. Chris went on to be the technology director of the Pennridge School District in Pennsylvania (1997-2013). While there he was responsible for helping teachers integrate new technologies into their curriculums and use it to connect learning across different subjects. He was a model schools staff development specialist at Dutchess BOCES NY (2013-2017), where he trained teachers to effectively integrate instructional technology into the teaching and learning process. Most recently he returned to where he felt most at home, in the classroom. Chris co-taught biotechnology courses at Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tapan, NJ (2017- 2021).

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Throughout his years as a teacher and administrator Chris remained a mentor and close friend with the high school runners he coached. He would go on to coach one of his running alumni’s children.

In his spare time, which was few and far between, you could find Chris tending to his tomato plants, garden, and growing collection of houseplants and orchids. He was a skilled foosball player, playing in various amatuer tournaments around the Tri-state area. He shared these and many of his other hobbies with his family, for whom he was a dedicated father and husband above all else. He never missed a chance to chaperone a field trip, and always dove headfirst into his children’s diverse passions. His sporadic singing and delicious cooking will be missed and celebrated, as he inadvertently passed these and other interests on to his kids. If he were here today, he would proudly tell you he “ran every morning... from the bedroom to the bathroom” (*insert Dad laugh here*). No matter if it was his work in technology, his personal hobbies, or his dedication to his family, Chris performed everything in his life with passion, purpose, love, and humor.

Chris is survived by his wife, children, brothers, and many nieces and nephews. When it is safe to gather, there will be a celebration for family and friends to play foosball, watch “Seinfeld”, and dance to 70’s classic rock in his honor.

He was a loving father and father figure to many. Chris will be desperately missed.

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Kate Chamuris

Feb 23, 2021

New Jersey Technology and Engineering Education Association - Member Letter

in Memories

It is with great sadness, that we write to inform you of the passing of a long time friend and leader of NJTEEA, Christopher Chamuris. He was a valued member of the technology and engineering education community and will be sorely missed.

Chris Chamuris served NJTEEA (called TEANJ for most of his career) in numerous roles, most notably as president from 1989 - 1990. Chris spent much of his teaching career at Lawrenceville Middle School where he was a technology and engineering education teacher and track coach. While teaching there Chris was presented with the NJTEEA and ITEEA Teacher Excellence Awards. He was then the Director of IT for the Pennridge School system from 1997 - 2013, then a trainer at NY BOCES from 2013 - 2017, before returning to the classroom in 2017, at Northern Valley Regional High School. Chris was an expert in the field of computer science and systems, and frequently presented at teaching conferences at the local, regional, and national levels. He was always regarded as a leader of technology and engineering education in the state of New Jersey and the US, and served as editor of The Study of Technology in NJ, the first set of technology and engineering education standards published in the state of New Jersey in 1996. He will be missed by all who knew and worked with him.

Please keep Chris’s wife Amy, and their children Kate, William, and Brianna in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

The NJTEEA Executive Board

Several Comments by friends:

Chris was an outstanding teacher and friend. We had many good times pushing technology and engineering education in NJ and around the country. He was loved by all who worked with him. He was meticulous when working on the standards and while teaching. He was recognized by NJTEEA and ITEEA as Middle School Technology and Engineering Education Teacher of the year. He taught me how to use an Apple McIntosh computer. It was a pleasure to watch him teach at Northern Valley two years ago. My heart aches for his wife and three kids. What a loss to the family and to education.

Mark Wallace, DTE. NJTEEA Past President and Executive Director 1993-2001

Chris Chamuris was one of the early leaders in the transition from Industrial Arts to Tech Ed in NJ. Trenton State used to use him as a cooperating school for some of their professional courses many years ago. He was a leader that will be missed for sure.

Nick Beykirch, Bernards Township Public Schools & The College of New Jersey

It was such a pleasure to work with Chris over the many years. I have been truly blessed to have worked with so many outstanding, dedicated educators such as Chris. Chris was a gift to the profession and, more importantly, to his students. It is so difficult to comprehend this loss.

Vince Walencik, MSU Retired

Chris was one of the leaders in our field as it transitioned to Tech Ed. He was instrumental in putting down on paper many of the ideas and concepts we take for granted these days. Chris was at the core of the many good times we had at ITEA and while working on all the projects back in those days.

Jim Novotny, DTE. Kean University

He was always working, always hustling professionally, and always on the go. I am not aware of anyone else who had more positive energy. He was a major contributor to the success of TEANJ and the recognition of the New Jersey association as a national leader in our profession.

Ed Denton, DTE. Past President NJTEEA 1997-98

Having known Chris and admired his work over many years, I approached Chris with the idea of teaching at Northern Valley Regional High School in 2017 when we were launching our new Biomedical Technology program. I remember being elated when he took the job. I knew it would be a big win for the students here and in just the few years since then he made a tremendous impact. The influence and direction will last many years.

Dave Janosz. Northern Valley Regional HS, Past President and Executive Director NJTEEA

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