Beloved husband, father, grandfather brother and uncle, Christopher John Zagala passed away unexpectedly October 9, 2025.

Christopher was born August 10, 1960 in Torrance, California to Yvonne Vigil and John Zagala. He and his four siblings were raised by their grandparents and spent their childhoods in Wilmington, California. He graduated from Banning High School in 1978.

Chris met his best friend and the love of his life Ruth Ann Petry in 1984. Chris always lovingly called her "Ruthie". They eloped to Las Vegas and were married May 25, 1985. Later, they validated their vows at Blessed Sacrament Church. Though he would miss the ocean, Ruth convinced him, after their first son, Christopher, was born to move from California to Rapid City, SD where Ruth's family lived. There were a few things about the climate in South Dakota that Chris didn't understand right away. One day he asked Ruthie, "hey, what does it mean when they talk about wind chill"? He quickly learned what wind chill meant. Two more children, Koree and Drew, were born.

Chris was a loyal and hard-working employee. He worked at Arrowhead Country Club and later became a "Schwan's Man". His daughter fondly remembers, he would stop on his route to reward her and her Cross-Country team with free ice cream. He was most recently employed as a cook at the Hotel Alex Johnson where his "work family" affectionately nicknamed him G-Pa.

Chris's talent for cooking went beyond his career. His assembly line Christmas egg rolls were legendary and Thanksgiving dinners would not have been the same without his painstakingly intense turkey gravy. Family favorites included enormous Sunday morning breakfasts after Church and shepherd's pie. His love language was food and he delighted in feeding people. For all his expertise in the kitchen his favorite foods to eat were surprisingly simple: fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy and corn. And he always wanted German chocolate cake on his birthday. His mother-in-law, Joan Petry, always made the best birthday cakes.

Chris treasured the Black Hills and loved being outdoors. He once hiked Black Elk Peak with Drew on his back the whole way up and the whole way down. When the kids were younger there were frequent trips to Fairburn to hunt for agate. Indeed, he collected rocks and also possessed a rather sizable coin collection. He was a not-so-secret fan of rom-coms and liked to read and watch science fiction. He was an avid gamer and could play for hours. Lately, he found himself almost daily at Canyon Lake Park making friends with and feeding peanuts to the squirrels. They will surely miss him. He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Church, Rapid City, SD.

Chris was happiest amongst his family. They were the most important to him. Immediate and extended all brought him so much joy and he loved all of them dearly. He especially adored being around the kids. They adored him right back. But the absolute best days of his life were the days his grandchildren were born. Our hearts are heavy knowing he'll no longer be present for Alvin and Quinn.

Chris was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents and father-in-law George Petry.

Chris is survived by his wife of 40 years, Ruth (Ruthie) A. (Petry) Zagala. His son Christopher, Minneapolis, MN, daughter Koree (Cory) Geyer, Littleton CO and son Drew (Mitch), Vancouver, WA. Grandchildren, Alvin and Quinn Geyer. Brothers, Clifford and Matthew and sisters, Ivy and Cookie. Mother-in-law, Joan Petry. Brothers-in-law, Phil, Dennis (Ruth) and Chris (Heidi) Petry and sisters-in-law, Diane Rutstein and Carol (Ed) Malone. His extended family include nephews: Robert Rutstein, Ean, Darien and Declan Malone, Eric (Malia Knight) Petry, and nieces: Andrea Rutstein, Elizabeth (Jimmy) Jones, Elaine, Madison and Grace Petry and Amanda (Brad) Kaiser. Great nephews: James Jones, Miles and Xavien Rutstein, Grayson Kaiser and Elijah Petry. Great-nieces: Avery and Lauren Jones and Elliana Petry.

A Memorial Celebration is being planned for a later date.