Colonel Christopher Glen Scharenbrock, MD, USAF (Ret), age 53, died in a tragic accident on November 4, 2019 while vacationing with his wife in Mexico. Chris was born on January 16, 1966 in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. He was the youngest of seven children born to Frank and Edith Scharenbrock. Chris graduated from Lake Holcombe High School at the top of his class and went on to become a distinguished graduate of the US Air Force Academy.  He continued on to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and earned his medical degree in 1992.

Through his internship, residency, and long military medical career, Chris traveled across the United States with assignments at Scott AFB, Nellis AFB, Lackland AFB, Langley AFB, Travis AFB, and Andrews AFB. Along the way, he married his wife Mary in 1993 and they welcomed daughters Emily in 1995 and Anna in 1999. During his career, he rose through the ranks and took on jobs with increasing responsibility, starting as a staff emergency medicine physician and rising to become the Chief of Staff at David Grant Medical Center. During his time in the military, Chris was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Qatar and became the first Air Force physician to serve on a 365 day provincial reconstruction team. Over the years, Chris received many medals, citations, and awards and notably received the Air Force Association Paul W. Meyers award for outstanding contribution to Air Force Medicine in 2007. He retired from the US Air Force in 2014 but continued to serve as a civilian physician at DGMC for the following year. Chris then happily joined the emergency medicine team at Kaiser Permanente as a staff physician.

Chris was a beautiful person, inside and out. He was a loving and devoted husband and father who was enthusiastic about the smallest of things. He was always looking for new experiences and welcomed new friends with open arms. As an emergency physician and leader, he was not only skilled but calm, kind, and humble. He loved playing racquetball with his friends, skiing, gardening, camping, boating, and traveling but he was happiest when he was sharing a glass of good wine with friends and family. He will be missed terribly by his wife of 26 years Mary, daughters Emily and Anna, brothers Tom and Bill, and sister Tee as well as by a large extended family and many dear friends around the world.

A Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, November 19 at The Father's House, 4800 Horse Creek Drive, Vacaville CA. Viewing will begin at 2:30pm; closed casket service will begin at 3:30pm.

Burial with full military honors will take place on Wednesday, November 20 at 9:30am at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road, Dixon CA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Boy Scouts of America at donations.scouting.org or the Fisher House Foundation donate.fisherhouse.org

Funeral arrangements by Vaca Hills Chapel Funeral Home 707-446-3233 www.vacahillschapel.com