Kristopher Charles Hatchell

Kristopher Charles Hatchell passed away on Friday March 22, 2024 at the age of 40 after a battle with abdominal cancer. He was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, lived in Nashville after graduating from Lipscomb University, and moved to Knoxville in 2018. He is survived by his wife DeeDee, sons Noah (10), Nehemiah (7), and Nathaniel (4), parents James and Brenda Hatchell, brother Jason and wife Heather, parents in-law Floyd and Susan Dunnavant, brother in-law Daniel and wife Linda, nephews Sawyer Hatchell and Keith and Lucas Dunnavant, and a broad community of friends and church family. Kris was passionate, hard-working, courageous, and honest as a father, husband, friend, and servant of the kingdom of God. He was a part of church families at Pine Valley Church of Christ, Otter Creek Church, Woodbine Family Church, and Laurel Church of Christ. He graduated from Lipscomb University with a Bachelor of Science in engineering mechanics and was pursuing his Master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Tennessee. Kris had a passion for using engineering as a tool of love and justice in God’s kingdom. As a student, he led some of the first engineering mission trips at Lipscomb University. After working as an engineer for Dynamic Structures and Materials in Franklin, TN, he helped start The Pugeot Center for Engineering Missions at Lipscomb. He was then coordinator of engineering missions at Lipscomb University for several years before transitioning to full-time engineering-oriented mission work serving indigenous communities in the rural Ulpan Valley of Guatemala with DeeDee for two years. After returning to the states, Kris continued to lead mission trips and was also known professionally for his excellence and passion for water resource engineering in Tennessee through his work as a project manager at Barge Design Solutions. He was an enthusiast of God’s creation and enjoyed taking his boys fishing, planning camping trips, training for long distance races, working on his farm in Loudon, and restoring an antique tractor. Kris took the greatest joy in the love of his bride DeeDee and in the privilege of raising his boys to be good men. He was a courageous fighter and faithfully trusted in Christ through adversity to the end.

Tributes

Kristopher Charles Hatchell

September 2, 1983 - March 22, 2024