By Peter Williams, a close friend from Chris’ days at the University of Michigan

Christopher David Lauer died at 6:02 PM PST on September 3, 2013 at the age of 50 in Los Angeles, California after a 6 year courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Malit, sister Andrea, brothers Mike and Tim, and his mother Sally. He was preceded in death by his father, David.

One of the first things Chris Lauer told me when I met him nearly thirty years ago was that he was a Liberal Arts major. “I mean that in the modern sense,” he growled. “A REAL liberal arts major.” That modern sense, circa 1985, was explained as follows: that technology had become the language of educated people, engineering was our art, and computers enabled the sciences. Tech had become so prevalent, he argued, that any university student calling himself a liberal arts major and not taking advanced calculus was either a hypocrite or a fool.

Chris was neither. True to his word, he studied these subjects and more at the University of Michigan where we met. But more importantly, he self-schooled, building one of the most impressive and eclectic personal libraries I have encountered. The spirit of that library lives in those of us who borrowed from it and lent to it over the years. The physical thing may turn up in his effects — or maybe not — likely now scattered from Kansas to Los Angeles to East Asia.

Chris lived his early life in the Midwest. I visited his family 25 or so years ago when his father, David, was still alive. His home was also the Lauer Funeral Home, the largest funeral home on Earth in my limited experience. The home was positioned in the center of Seneca, Kansas, without question one of the smallest towns I have ever visited. A picturesque town surrounded by the agricultural fields that support the community. The Main Street strip is well preserved with beautiful brick buildings and lively businesses. We walked downtown one day to get 25 cent beers, an absurdly charming price even for the late 80s. Though he spent a tremendous amount of energy in those days articulating how he wanted to travel to far away lands, he enjoyed showing off the cheap beer, and knowing everybody he met in the street. He was proud of his family and his home. Like his father, Chris knew the history of Seneca, and how to bring it to life. And he showed me everything, from the room he shared with his brothers upstairs to the inner workings of the funeral home’s basement facilities.

But to no surprise, cheap beer and a respected family business couldn’t hold Chris, and he did venture to Los Angeles and then further west until west became east….Asia! He worked on various consulting assignments throughout Asia including a stint with the Korean Tourism Board in Seoul, Korea and also founded an ecommerce business. He enjoyed building websites and was the webmaster for Lauer Funeral Home until last week.

In 2010 he married the love of his life, Malit, in Bangkok, Thailand. Malit is a native of Cambodia and provided the spice and energy to Chris in his fight with cancer. Unfortunately USA visa issues kept Malit from making it to Los Angeles during his last weeks. Malit: you were in his thoughts to the end. His last words to you, and the heart he drew around them, are on their way to you in the mail.

For me, the words that come to mind when thinking of Chris’ life are kindness, respect, candor, and personal discipline. Chris was a thoughtful correspondent, avid reader, fearless commentator, enthusiastic bicyclist, fantastic listener, lively host and generous friend – whatever the situation called for. And to the end, he battled cancer on his own terms, designed his own treatments that kept him alive for six years, and when the treatments came to an end, his strengths kept on going.

“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very very brightly.” — Dr. Tyrell, Bladerunner. Chris really liked that movie.