Obituary of Christopher Paul Demos

Christopher Paul Demos, 35, of Washington D.C., formerly of San Diego, CA and Ridgewood, NJ, passed away Tuesday, December 25, 2012. Born November 12, 1977, he was the son of Paul C. and Alyssa D. (Shwed) Demos of Blairstown, NJ. Christopher was gifted, driven, internationally oriented, and committed to making a positive difference—in the world, and among his friends and family. A 1996 graduate of Ridgewood High School, Christopher attended the University of San Diego, where he earned Bachelor degrees in International Relations and Spanish. He was a Dean’s List/First Honors student and Dean’s Scholarship recipient in all semesters. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2000, earning the Ernest N. Morin Award in International Relations, an award given to the top student in the International Relations Department. He was a member of the Political Science Club and Political Honor Society. Upon graduation, Christopher supervised exports for Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.; where he was active in San Diego, CA, Los Angeles, CA, and Amsterdam, NL. In 2003 Christopher furthered his education at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He received his Master of Arts in International Economic Affairs with a concentration in Emerging Markets Finance in 2006. While taking classes, he acted as the Assistant Editor of International Affairs Forum in Arlington, VA., and interned with the US Senate Subcommittee on Financial Management, Budget, and International Security. Also during school, Christopher’s began working at the National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of Global Radiological Threat Reduction, where he stayed on as a Federal Project Manager for the Former Soviet Union—managing projects to prevent the proliferation of nuclear technologies outside of that area. In 2007, Christopher was hired as an Industry Analyst with the US Department of Energy, serving in the Office of Oil and Natural Gas. He left that position to become a Senior Investment Officer at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government's independent development bank. At OPIC, Christopher’s analyzed and approved a portfolio of investments in renewable and clean energy projects in emerging nations. These latter two roles reflected Christopher’s on-going education in financial analysis, as he had completed the Level II Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam by 2010, and was preparing for the Level III exam when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2011. Christopher’s international professional focus afforded him frequent travel opportunities, with regular trips to Ukraine, Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, Australia, and Central and South America. His favorite vacation spot was a small surf town on the west coast of Costa Rica. He excelled at languages, learning Russian in addition to speaking Spanish fluently. Despite his persistent successes as a student and professional, Christopher’s greatest pleasure was enjoying the company of his many close friends, colleagues, and especially his family. He enjoyed historical novels, staying current with world affairs, exercising, surfing, cooking, mixology, the Yankees, Hitchcock and James Bond movies, and vacationing with friends and family. His favorite quote was “Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle,” an idea he embodied. In addition to his parents, Christopher is survived by his grandfather, Christopher H. (Kathleen) Demos of Warwick, NY; grandmother, Barbara Ann Shwed (Charles) Kissane of West Milford, NJ; great aunt Athena (Demos) Kendris of Staten Island, NY, aunts Cheryl (Doug) Conerty of Manasquan, NJ and Patricia Urban of Blackwood, NJ; uncles Warren (Valerie) Shwed of Upper Greenwood Lake, NJ, Mike (Sharon) Shwed of Vero Beach, FL, and Steven Shwed of Acra, NY; cousins Jennifer, Christina, and Stephanie Shwed, and his Godson, Jayden Shwed. Funeral Services will be held Friday, January 4, 2013 at 10:00 am at Denville Community Church, 190 Diamond Spring Road, Denville, NJ. Private cremation will follow. Friends may visit at Norman Dean Home For Services, 16 Righter Rd, Denville, NJ on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9pm. www.normandean.com To honor Christopher and help other GBM patients, the "Christopher Demos Memorial Brain Tumor Foundation" has been established. The family would appreciate donations in lieu of flowers.  The mission of the foundation is to support those suffering from brain tumors with financial assistance. The fund has been established through the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. Donations can be made through the following link, http://ow.ly/gpmTy, specifying the name of the fund (Christopher Demos Memorial Brain Tumor Foundation) in the third field.