11/8/1945 – 7/9/2026
Christopher Max Sidney LeBaugh, 80, of Vancouver, WA, left this earthly life on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at Lake Siskiyou near Mt. Shasta, CA.
Chris was born on November 8, 1945, to Max and Cynthia LeBaugh in Norwich, England, where his father Max was stationed during WWII. When the war ended, Max was sent home, leaving his wife and new son in England. It would be months before Cynthia was able to travel to the US aboard the Queen Mary with her infant son. The family lived in Council Bluffs, IA until Cynthia died of tuberculosis in 1949. Later Max remarried and moved to Daly City, CA where Chris attended Jefferson High School and both San Mateo and Solano Colleges.
Chris was drafted into the United States Marine Corps in January 1966 and was deployed to Vietnam. On June 27, 1967, Lance Corporal Chris LeBaugh was seriously wounded in a fire fight causing the loss of his right leg and extensive injury to the other. He was permanently retired from the Marine Corps on March 20, 1968.
Following his military service, Chris pursued his lifelong passion of flying. When he was recovering in the VA Hospital, his first question to the doctor was, “Will I still be able to fly airplanes?” In 1976 Chris began his career in aviation as a flight instructor in Napa, CA. He also worked there as a corporate pilot.
In 1984 Chris moved to Vancouver, WA where he began his 10-year airline career with Horizon Air, flying Metroliners and Dash 8’s. He finished his flying career at Empire Airlines and retired in December 2004. Chris was never one to sit idle; he lived life to the fullest. While he was still working he built his own plane, an RV6. He traveled to England several times to visit his relatives and to Alaska for numerous fishing trips. He loved camping and visited most of the national parks.
Some of his many hobbies included bicycling, model railroading, and going fishing as often as he could. One of his greatest joys in life was spending time with his family, who all will miss him deeply.
Chris is survived by his wife, Jane; daughter Carolyn Gregg (Andy); daughter Christine McAtee; son Michael LeBaugh; grandchildren Rhett Alben, Chris LeBaugh III (Lisha), Katie Gregg Huber, Lucy Gregg, William McAtee, Max McAtee; great granddaughters Marley LeBaugh and Paisley McAtee; brother Stephen LeBaugh; sister Pamela LeBaugh; sisters-in-law Norma Rath, Mary Scott, Julie Kiertzner, Joy Seggerman and also 15
nieces and nephews and 27 great nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, son Chris LeBaugh II, sister Dorothy Caine-Brown, sister-in-law Janis Robinson, and brothers-in-law Harold and Leonard Seggerman.
Source: Mt Shasta Memorial Chapel
