Christopher
Edward Drypen
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Indian Springs Metropark Memorial
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Christopher Edward Drypen was born on March 16, 1987 as the third of three children. He was 10-1/2 pounds at birth and the largest of the siblings.
Chris was a joyful child and had a keen sense of humor. When he was small he would frequently act "goofy" in order to get a few laughs. When we posed for a family photograph, Chris was one you could expect to be clowning around. It is ironic that at the age of 4 or 5 he would get upset if he was dressed up and someone told him that he looked “sharp”. One of the most notable traits Chris possessed was his intelligence. From early-on, Chris was a deep thinker who pondered the philosophical nature of being at a level well beyond his age. He always wanted to succeed and was very proud of the perfect 4.0 he received in middle school (click here to see it) along with his string of honor roles. He was looking forward to the upcoming fall semester with his goal set to receive all 4.0 report cards the rest of the way through high school so that he could gain entrance into a good university.
One of the most striking features of Chris was his smile and a smile is something that he normally wore.
Chris was not one to easily succumb to pain. He broke a few bones growing up, but this barely slowed him down. Once , at an extended family gathering he broke his arm while on a trampoline with an older cousin. On another occasion Chris broke his leg while playing goalie for the Huron Valley Soccer club. After blocking a shot, Chris went down and grimaced with pain. Before time could be called, he was back on his feet and ready to play. At first nobody knew his leg was broken, but it became obvious that something was hurting him. Finally we pulled him out of the game. It was only then, after playing on it that we found out his leg was broken. He had his bones set in a cast and never complained. When Chris was about 4 or 5 years old, we went Christmas shopping for his mom's present at Meijer. Chris immediately headed for the fishing tackle aisle. He looked around and finally decided upon a bottle of "aroma" that is normally applied to lures as a fish attractant. He said that he wanted to but this for his mom "because I want her to smell good". He thought he was selecting a perfume! When his mom opened the present that year we all laughed because the gift was a gift of love from Chris, and it was so typical of his naïveté. Chris participated in scouting from the Tiger Cub level up through Weeblos and Boy Scouts. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor activities and the other events the den sponsored. A favorite was the "Pinewood Derby" for which he won a number of trophy's. Chris also won a trophy for a "bake-off" contest where he submitted a huge pizza-sized chocolate chip cookie that was decorated with scouting symbolisms. He earned virtually every merit badge offered to the cub scouts and also earned the Cub Scout's highest award, the "Arrow of Light". Some interesting facts about Chris:
Chris also liked art. When he was young be drew pictures and colored. As he grew, his artistic outlet progressed more to hands-on types of art like sculpture and particularly woodworking. He enjoyed making cutting boards, banks, tie racks, boxes and numerous other things. We still proudly use a wooden napkin holder that he fabricated in a woodworking class. Click here for some examples of his artistry.
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He was baptized Roman Catholic at the Church of the Holy
Spirit in Highland, Michigan. This was his life-long parish. He
attended catechism here through elementary and middle school. He made his First
Holy Communion while in the 2nd grade. He was confirmed during middle
school at Holy Spirit with his older brother Tony as his sponsor. He, along
with his brother and sister participated in church services as alter
servers. On Thursday June 22,2003 Chris made his final visit to the church at
his funeral mass.
Chris liked sports ... all sports. Early on, even before
he started kindergarten, Chris played various recreational sports on Saturday
mornings through the Milford YMCA. He played indoor soccer, "pillow
polo", floor hockey and basketball. He joined the Huron Valley Soccer Club and
played goalie. His team was awesome and won a number of league championships. He played baseball in the Hi-White league from t-ball
through pitch. In the 7th and 8th grade he played football with the
Milford Mustangs. He also played football the following year as a freshman
at Brother Rice High School. He transferred to Milford High School his
sophomore year (this past year) and was thus ineligible to play. He had
plans on working out this summer and trying out for the Milford team. 
One of Christopher's favorite pastimes was
fishing. Ever since he was a wee lad he loved the sights, sounds and
smells of fishing. He would often spend summer days as he grew up fishing
for bass on one of the local lakes. A couple of years ago Chris won 2
trophies in the annual Leonard Lake fishing competition. He won one
for the largest fish in the junior class, and one for the largest bass overall
... including adults! His favorite lure of late was the Rapala. He
used a small perch-colored one to catch a 4 pound, 20 inch bass a couple of
weeks before his death. This catch put him into the lead of the family
fishing tournament that has taken place for the last 8 summers. 