
Christopher D. Nowak
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Christopher Daniel Nowak passed peacefully in the early hours of July 10, 2020 in Naples, FL, after valiantly fighting primary biliary cholangitis for many years, around the same time of day he rushed into this life on January 23, 1977 in Worcester, MA. Chris was a wonderful son, nephew, cousin, and friend who brought immeasurable joy and laughter to his loved ones. He will be remembered for his wicked sense of humor, keen intelligence, myriad interests, gentle soul and loving nature. His untimely passing is a tragic loss which will be deeply felt. He will be missed every day. He is survived by his mother, Margaret Ann Nowak, of Naples, FL, while his father, Edmund John Nowak, Jr., of Spencer, MA, pre-deceased him. He leaves his paternal aunt and uncle, Gerri and Paul Weldon, of Venice, FL; and several paternal cousins, Scott Weldon of Methuen, MA and his children, Mackenzie and Hunter; Kristen Knowles of Houston, TX and her children, Ashley Cunningham and Shane Anderson; Marc Weldon of Manchester, NH and his daughter, Alexandra; and Heather Schimikowski of Westborough, MA and her children, Greyson, Saylor, Elliana, and Aubrielle; as well as a maternal cousin, Kathleen M. Carmody, of New York, NY and Naples, FL, and his best friend, Sarah Byrnes, of Naples, FL. He has two daughters, Juliana and Amelia, who currently reside in Murfreesboro, TN. Christopher attended The Oxford Academy while growing up in Auburn, MA where he lived until he was 15, received his high school diploma from Lecanto High School in Florida, and then graduated from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1999. For much of his professional life, he ran his own financial advisory firm (associated with American Express and Ameriprise Financial) in Rhode Island, and then worked as a consultant for Verizon Communications and several other private businesses. He held a Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS), and was a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC). After watching his maternal aunt, Elizabeth (Bebe), battle what was then known as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and his own struggle with this hereditary rare disease and hopes for a liver transplant, Chris was a passionate advocate for PBC research and organ donation. He was an organ donor himself, leaving his startling blue eyes and ocular tissue to research. Christopher's family and friends request that you consider registering to be an organ donor in his memory. It's estimated that one organ donor can save up to eight lives. Please see organdonor.gov for more information and how to register in your state. There will be a memorial mass for Christopher on Monday, July 20, 2020, at 10am, celebrated at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 5130 Rattlesnake Hammock Road, Naples, FL, 34113. In lieu of flowers, Christopher's loved ones welcome donations in his memory to the American Liver Foundation (liverfoundation.org) or the Holy Cross Fund (holycross.edu). For online condolences visit www.Fullernaples.com.
