Christina Marie Chesvick, 36, died Tuesday, March 14, 2017 in Manhattan, KS. Christina, or “Chez” or “Chezzie” to many, was born October 9, 1980 in San Francisco, CA, the child of a military family. In her early years, Christina lived in many cities, including San Francisco, Okinawa Japan, and Bremerton, Washington, where she spent much of her youth. Christina was exposed to horses at a young age, and it was love at first sight; much of her free time was spent riding horses or thinking about horses, and she developed a professional interest in caring for them.
Christina attended Washington State University for her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences and remained there for her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. After a short stint living in Phoenix for an equine internship, she returned to the Puget Sound area to practice small animal veterinary medicine. In 2011, Christina moved southward to Monterey, CA. She quickly established herself in Monterey, working in a variety of veterinary practices, and taking on a lecturer role at California State University Monterey Bay, where she taught Anatomy, Physiology, Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health and Wellness. She discovered a love of teaching, referring to her students as “the sponges,” with their bright minds eager to suck up as much knowledge as they could.
In 2015, Christina decided to advance her love of teaching by combining that love with a discovered passion for veterinary radiology and began pursuit of an academic career as a specialist. She relocated to Los Angeles where she completed a 1-year Diagnostic Imaging Internship at Animal Specialty and Emergency Center (ASEC), during which she was accepted as a Diagnostic Imaging Resident at Kansas State University. She started her residency in 2016, and as a resident, Christina’s impassioned and dynamic teaching style was greatly appreciated by all the students she encountered at Kansas State University.
Christina always loved being physically active, and she completed a marathon, several half marathons, and even faced her fear of the open water doing a Sprint Distance Triathlon. Christina was active in the Hasher running communities in Tacoma, Seattle, and Monterey. In 2013, Chris found Maximos, or Max, her warmblood Oldenburg horse, and reengaged in the Dressage training community. Despite Max’s youth and inexperience, and due to her expertise, they were highly competitive, and Christina had aspirations of competing with Max in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Despite her many accomplishments, talents, the deep love of her friends, and the inspiration that Christina brought to others, she suffered from a lifelong struggle with depression. After years of valiantly keeping her head up and charging forward toward her passions, ultimately the strength of her illness was too great, and she chose to end her suffering.
Christina is survived by her parents, Ed and Laura Chesvick of Bremerton, WA; her brother, Brian Chesvick of Bremerton, WA; her partner, Ramsey Meyer of San Francisco, CA; her three beloved pets, Stoli the cat, Shep the dog, and Max the horse; and a huge tribe of loving and adoring friends.