Christopher "Chris" Sidney Berryhill

Christopher Sidney Berryhill was born on December 10, 1966. Chris was a believer, a first-born son to Robert and Betty Berryhill, a brother to three, a cousin to dozens, a nephew, a husband to Jami, a father to Travis, Wyatt, Nate and George, a grandfather to Sawyer and Riley, to Violet and Evelyn, to Carson, Lincoln, Payette and Canyon, to Nicholas and Graeson and a friend to many.

Chris was fiercely loyal and dedicated to his family, friends and convictions. He was compassionate and kind to those he loved and to strangers alike, including those some would call the “unloveables”. He always showed up.

As a devout Catholic he lived out his faith every single day, he exemplified the love of Jesus in his words and actions. He gave kindness and mercy, was slow to anger. We joke but Chris was in fact the family favorite.

He loved being a husband to Jami and literally loved her from the first day they met. They quickly grew to an inseparable rowdy bunch of six, living life, working hard, playing hard…….the camping trips, ER visits from mountain biking wipeouts and all the things that come with raising four boys to become the amazing men, husbands and fathers they are today. Chris’s legacy lives on through them and their precious children.

During college Chris was a working cowboy on Alpine area ranches. In 1992 Chris and his father-in-law Jimmy Jeter started and operated “J&B Sleigh & Carriages” in Ruidoso. Chris served a long career as a firefighter from the early 1990's until 2021. He worked wildland fire for the United States Forest Service, New Mexico State Forestry, and even owned and operated his own contract engine (“Holy Smokes”). He was also a structural firefighter for the village of Ruidoso fire department and worked his way up to Lieutenant. His fire service also included being an EMT-I for his community and included service as an adjunct instructor for the New Mexico Fire Academy. His service was cut short by his terminal cancer diagnosis but his impact has lived on through all the fire service members he has ever worked with.

Chris was always the adventurer – he loved the outdoors whether he was on horseback in his younger days, on a mountain bike, in a kayak, hiking, climbing or camping his favorite spots throughout New Mexico, Idaho, Colorado or Texas and beyond. Our first camping trip to The Gila with Uncle Bill lit the fire. He loved the journey. He adored sharing the outdoors with his family, teaching his grandchildren to fish and paddleboard, how to pitch a tent, start a fire, how to be still long enough to appreciate all of God’s creation. He lived to give and share his time, his passions, his possessions, his knowledge, his faith and his love. If there was a parade, a festival, an outdoor celebration of any kind – he was all in – it brought him and Jami such joy to share those experiences with their grandchildren.

Chris loved to cook and preferred to do so for a houseful of people. He loved to eat! He enjoyed baking and decorating all the grandkids birthday cakes.

Chris had an eclectic range of knowledge and interests – always learning and growing. He earned a degree from Sul Ross State University. He could mechanic on anything from his beloved 1987 Land Cruiser to any piece of machinery. He worked in the oil fields out of Denver City with his Uncle Sid from an early age. He could weld as well as anyone. He designed and built the rapelling tower, zip line and ropes course at the Lone Tree Ranch in Capitan. He could recite historical facts from ancient history to current events. He loved war-time history out of admiration and respect for his Grandfather who was a WWII and Korean War hero who earned a two Bronze Stars, a Silver Star and a Purple Heart. Chris could give you the name, biography and stats of every top ten Tour De France competitor for the last thirty years. Chris even kept beehives. He loved to learn and teach about “fun facts” and how things are made. The difference between Indian and African elephants and why that matters. He could name every mountain range, peak, river, pass from Mexico to Canada, from Texas on up through Montana. He noticed and appreciated the strangest and smallest of things. He’d bring “big foot hair” home for the boys when they were young from his fire fighting days is Idaho. Once a lightning strike hit near some livestock and horses……he actually kept one of the horses feet thinking he might need a horseshoe! Another time a badger had been hit on the road probably in Idaho……he kept a badger paw thinking he’d always wanted one. Who does that?

Chris taught us all by example how to be better humans – to live with self-less purpose with forgiveness, compassion for the weak and lonely, to live with patience and love. He also showed us grit, determination – to live life to the fullest in faith – through the toughest battles imaginable. A motto from his last years in times of worry or crisis – he loved to say “calm down”…..for everyone else. He lived his life without an ounce of anger or self-pity, only bravery and courage with the heart of a thousand Vikings, always trusting God’s plan and purpose for his life.

A special thank you to Enhabit Hospice and their phenomenal team.

Thank you to his vast medical team – especially to those who supported his belief that he would be in the top 3% and he was! The infusion nurses were the best.

A thank you to all the friends near and far, new and decades old – thank you for your love and support.

In lieu of flowers please consider donations to: Lone Tree Camp in Capitan, NM, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Capitan, NM, or Pancreatic Cancer Network.

Chris is survived by his loving wife, Jami Berryhill; sons, Travis and his wife Dani (their children Sawyer and Riley), Wyatt and his wife Julia (their children Violet and Evelyn), Nate (his children Carson, Lincoln, Payette, and Canyon), and George and his wife Kylie (their children Nicholas and Graeson); brother, Michael Berryhill and wife his Eleanor; sisters, Catherine Wheeler and her husband Jason (their children Abbie, Daniel, Noah, and Elizabeth), Stephanie Magilow and her husband Andrew (their children Avner and Madeline); parents, Robert and Betty Berryhill; Uncle Sid and Aunt Marilyn Reinert, Uncle Charles and Aunt Lou Reinert, Aunt Georgianne Wood, Aunt Mary Jane Jones, and Aunt Carol Reinert. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, George and Elizabeth Reinert; grandfather, Ralph Berryhill; grandmother, Helen Berryhill; step grandmother, Marion Berryhill; and cousin, Liz Marchand.  

A Rosary will be held on Friday, January 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Capitan, New Mexico. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 10:00 AM at St. Eleanor Catholic Church in Ruidoso, New Mexico with interment to follow at Angus cemetery.