Obituary of Christopher John Junghans

Christopher (Chris) John Junghans passed away Monday, August 19, 2013 at his home in Springfield, VA with his sister, Faith, and caregiver, Tammy, at his side. Chris was born on November 12, 1959 in Trenton, NJ, the son of John Anthony Junghans and Mary Jo Fitzgibbon Junghans. A child of a military family, Chris grew up in many places including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, Germany, then finally Virginia. Chris graduated from West Springfield High School in 1978. He wrestled in high school, and taught himself to play the guitar, which he enjoyed greatly. Chris loved English literature and philosophy, a double major in which he earned a BA from University of Virginia. With an aptitude for writing, Chris was a newsletter editor, a newspaper journalist, as well as a speech writer for George H. W. Bush’s campaign, leading to a presidential appointment at the Department of Agriculture. Throughout his career, Chris continued to be active in politics and was awarded his Doctorate of Education from Montana State University. Chris was a teacher in both Montana and Virginia, with his students lovingly referring to him as “Dr. J”. Chris was fluent in German, and was a Visiting Fellow at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. With the name Junghans, his German family name, Chris started his own business, Junghans & Sons to sell Junghans time pieces in the United States. Chris exclusively drove Volkswagens after driving his first car, the infamous blue Dodge Dart Swinger with hood scoops in High School. Chris loved to cook and was known for his roast meats, as well as sautéed scallops and killer Reuben’s. While living in Montana, he had a passion for creating specialty microbrews. Chris had a large circle of family and friends who cared about him deeply. At UVA, Chris and some of his closest friends created a private club known as the “Shrews”. Due to Chris’s charisma and strong character he was Shrew No. 1. His deep blue eyes and infectious smile will always be remembered by those who love and miss him dearly. Chris is survived by his father, John Anthony Junghans and stepmother, Cynthia Ann of Delray Beach FL; his mother, Mary Jo Fitzgibbon Junghans; his sister, Faith Bernadette and nephew, Benjamin Paul Heap of Corvallis, OR; his brother, Philip Seraphin; sister-in-law, Alice, and niece, Angelina Grace, of Spangdahlem, Germany, as well as his five children: John Anthony (Tony) of Bozeman MT; Philip Nicolas (Luca) of Seattle, WA; Erich Christian, Mary Faith, and Logan Christopher of Bozeman, MT. Please note: The memorial mass over Veteran’s Day weekend (Nov. 8-11, 2013) will be rescheduled. Please come to a Get Together to remember Chris on November 2nd at Joe Theismann’s Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria from 4-6pm. The family welcomes your condolences and memories of Chris on this site.