They say in time you will heal

I miss you so much and always will

I long for one more day to share

And let you know how much I care

To sit and talk and laugh and smile

And enjoy your presence for a while

What a sweet blessing you left us behind

He is just like you, heart, soul and mind

I have faith and try to be strong

Cause we will see you again before long.

Connie Pirtle - 2018

As if it was yesterday, Connie Pirtle recalls a day when her teenage son, Christopher “Chris,” wrapped his arms around her in the loving way he always did, regardless of how his friends might react.

“He had these great big bear hugs,” Connie said. “It didn’t matter if there were 50 people around or nobody, he always made sure he gave us a hug.”

It’s been 15 years since Mark and Connie Pirtle felt their son’s loving embrace, but memories of who he was during his 22 years remain vividly alive and it’s their mission to see that he is not forgotten.

With the help of local sculptor and longtime advocate of Kingfisher cultural development John Gooden, the Pirtles have set their son’s memory in stone along the Kingfisher Trails.

A bronze sculpture of Chris holding his 2-year-old son, Isaiah, together with a string of fish was crafted by Gooden and set atop a brick monument near Boecher Lake in the developing Newfield Community Park.

With the desire to honor their son, Mark said, after John finalized the sculpture the family gathered at the site to complete the brick work, putting the finishing touches on the memorial.

“We wanted to honor our son’s memory in the design with two of his favorite things - fishing and his son,” Mark said.

The statue commissioned by the Pirtles serves as a memorial to Christopher Pirtle and the love for his son, Gooden said, and was also helpful in acquiring a grant from the National Park Service to fund other developing aspects of the community park.

“It was a win-win-win,” he said. “The Pirtles have a nice, relevant, public place for the sculpture memorializing their son and the community gets an art piece about the love of a father and son.”

A pavilion and picnic tables will eventually be added near the monument, providing a peaceful place in nature with a small lake in the background and walking trails nearby.

It’s a perfect setting for the memorial. Mark said Chris loved to hunt, fish and ride four-wheelers, as well as most everything outdoors.

Having raised their grandson since the accident that claimed their son’s life, Mark and Connie both agreed that Isaiah not only looks and acts like his dad, but loves the same things he did.

“They are so much alike - to see Chris is to see Isaiah,” Connie said.

Chris was the middle child, with older brother Dustin who lives in Kingfisher and younger brother Bradley in Seattle.

Thinking about his brother, Dustin said, “Chris was well respected by most everyone and he had such a big heart.

“He also had a love for animals and was always rescuing strays.”

During one of the floods, Mark recalled how Chris saw some dogs chained up in the water and went out of his way to get his boat and rescue the dogs, even if the Rottweiler wasn’t very appreciative of his efforts.

“He always had these one-liners,” Mark said, “and he was a lot of fun to be around.”

In agreement, Connie said Chris had a great sense of humor and “the best smile.”

“He was always happy,” she added.

Sometimes it feels like yesterday and sometimes like a long time ago since they were able to enjoy time with their son, the Pirtles said.

“You never get over it, but you learn to live with it day by day,” Mark said.

Outliving your child is difficult for any parent, but the Pirtles said they have been blessed to be able to raise their grandson and see so much of their son in his child.

Shortly before Chris’s accident, he had started working with his parents at their welding and metal fabrication business, 33 Welding, and Isaiah is following in his father’s footsteps.

A senior at Kingfisher High School, Isaiah currently works with his Papa and Nana at the family business and said he plans to keep working there once he graduates.

“If Isaiah chooses to, he will be the next generation to take over the family business (which they have owned since 2000),” Mark said.

“It is comforting to have Isaiah here,” Connie said.

Through sharing poems Connie has written in memory of her son to the newly placed monument, the Pirties’ desire is to honor the life of their son.

“As a parent, you worry that others will forget your son and any way we can share his memory helps us to cope,” she added.

The Pirtles said they are very pleased with the memorial and its representation of their son.

“John Gooden did extremely good work and was instrumental in helping us honor the memory of our son,” Mark said.

With his love of the outdoors, the monument is ideally situated amongst nature in the community park and will be a tangible remembrance of the life of Christopher Pirtle for years to come.

“It’s very important to us that his memory is kept alive,” Connie said.

In loving memory of Christopher Pirtle Nov. 4, 1982 - Sept. 27, 2005