Chris Fajardo, 80, of Louisville, Kentucky, passed away on Friday, November 24, 2023.
He was born on June 13, 1943 in Chattanooga , Tennessee to Enrique and Virginia (Wilcox ) Fajardo. Along with his parents, he is preceded in death by his siblings, Robert R. Fajardo and Mary Therese Fajardo. Chris is survived by his loving wife, Anne Fajardo, children, Christine (David) Hair, Debbie (Frank) Castanha, Mary Hair, Chris (Shannon) Fajardo, Jr., and Mike (Tracy) Fajardo, grandchildren, Jake Castanha, Ava Castanha, Derek Fajardo, Jason Fajardo, Paige Fajardo, Maggie Fajardo, and Lincoln Fajardo, great grandchildren, Jessiah Mays, Y'vonni Fajardo, Y'monni Fajardo, Joshua Fajardo, Conni Fajardo, Dereona Daniels and sisters, Marie Ragghianti and Rose (Doug) Latino.
Chris Fajardo was given the gift of sobriety for 57 years. According to him, he never worked a day in his life: he did not have a job, he had a vocation. Spiritual to the core, he gave it all away. Shortly after starting his own recovery from alcoholism, he became a beacon of hope to thousands of still suffering substance dependent people, the homeless, the downtrodden. At times, he would bring hitchhikers or others back home for a meal, a shower, a night. Some of them stayed for years!
Instrumental in the creation and the development of the recovery program at The Healing Place, he worked towards its duplication in many US states. He consulted numerous organizations statewide and abroad; received many professional accolades and awards. Chris, despite a touch of contankerousness, was a humble servant of humanity, without a drop of malice.
He became a "Citizen of the World" ("As Bill Sees It", p.21). The world is a little less rich for losing him.
A memorial visitation will be held from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday, December 9th at Newcomer Funeral Home (10304 Dixie Hwy). A service celebrating Chris' life will be at 4:00 pm on Saturday, at the funeral home.
The family requests that contributions in Chris' memory be made to The Healing Place Development Department. To share a memory of Chris or leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.
Chris's service will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time.
Click here to view the service.