Birth date: May 10, 1990 Death date: Jan 23, 2025
On the 23rd day of January, 2025, while snow still surrounded all in a beautiful dream, devoted father and husband, Christopher Lee Roussel of Madisonville, LA, left this world in a heart wrenching way. He was born May 10th, 1990 Read Obituary
When I started my new job after moving to New Orleans, Chris was my first friend at work. He always had my back and always talked me up. He was the best hypeman at work. He was like a brother to me at work. He mentored me when everyone else was too busy. He joined me for lunch on those tough days. He stayed late to help not just me but pretty much anyone who needed help. I'm so glad he found a wonderful person and life with Rebecca and the kids. I know his memory will live on thru them. He will forever be missed and his work ethic, integrity, friendship, and that Chris Russel laugh will never be forgotten. Love you brother.
It's hard to list only one "Christopher thing", especially after all the years at Jesuit, JROTC practices and competitions, parties, those mini Mardi Gras reunions, and plenty of nights out. The first one to come to mind is when he helped Lauren, Matt, and myself from getting lost on some very small mountain in the middle of nowhere Texas.
Don't remember the name of the mountain we went to, don't even remember the name of the area in Texas we were in. I just remember having a horrible cold during this whole trip and we decided it would be a good idea to go hiking.
At the base of the mountain, there was a fork in the trail. One path went straight up the mountain and looked steep but doable, the other looked like a more relaxed path that slowly ascended. Wanting to take the easier way, we checked our paper maps (no cell reception) and saw that this trail would be a bit longer but more scenic. So we happily set off.
We should have noticed something was wrong as the foliage was getting as tall or taller than us. We should have noticed when bugs and "sticker" plants started attacking us every couple of steps. After another hour wandering through the brush we definitely noticed that we missed a trail marker and were lost.
We had no cell reception to guide us and the park maps were too cartoony to figure out exactly where we were. After some doubling back and forth to see if we missed a trail sign, panic started to set in. I was too sick to think straight, just remember it being very hot and I was so thirsty. The sun was getting lower, Lauren and I were convinced this was it.
Chris then came up with a game plan, Matt was gonna babysit me and Lauren while he went ahead and found the way back on the path.
After about 30 or 40 mins, Chris came running back to tell us that he found the trail again. He used some navigational skills to find the path and made sure to let Lauren and I know we were idiots for worrying so much. Chris saved the day and potentially, our lives. Well, he for sure saved us from being those unprepared idiots who have to call park services. He was so nonchalant with how serious the whole situation got and even shared his canteen with the sick fool who only brought one bottle of water on the hike (me).
This is one of the many “Christohper moments” I will always treasure.
Will really miss you Roussel, know you have a duffle bag of moonshine waiting for us on the other side.
We are truly sorry about your loss. Please know that our thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Take care of yourself and each other.
Chris it was great to go to OCS with another JROTC Blue Jay I feel like I had a friend close by the whole time. I'll miss you brother, be at peace.
