Christopher T. Willig

Thank you for all of your kind words. The date of the Memorial for Chris has changed to September 27th. If you are able to, please stop by Chris's house to celebrate his life. If you cannot attend, raise a glass to Chris at 3:30pm Chicago time, for one last end of the shift.

Shared by natalie willig ebert on 9/21/2020 1:23 PM

Thank you all for your words of condolence. It is nice to hear how much respect Chris had in the GE generator community and throughout GE in general. On September 26th we will be having a Memorial at Chris's house to celebrate his life. If you can attend please stop by, if not raise a glass to Chris at 3:30pm Chicago time, for one last end of the shift.

Shared by phil willig on 9/13/2020 8:23 PM

Dear Willig family, We were saddened to learn of the loss of Christoper, cherished brother, friend, son, uncle and amazing artist. We know how much Phil and Chris enjoyed each other's company. We are thinking of you at this difficult time and send our condolences to your family.

Shared by janice and dan white on 9/8/2020 12:09 AM

Chris was one of the first friends I had when I started at GE back in '78. His quick wit and sense of humor could always lighten up a stressful day. His knowledge and skills were commendable, and I remember asking him 30 or so years ago why he didn't become an engineer. His response was"I don't want to DRIVE the train, I just want to ride in the caboose and drink beer". A classic Chris reply! His expertise,software, and tooling designs made the Chicago Generator Department a flagship looked up to by the rest of the service network. He inspired me to think through work challenges and find better solutions to problems, and for that I am very grateful. He was also a skilled artisan prior to and after retirement, gifting many of his creations to his friends. I am happy to have reminders of him around the house and yard. When I talked to him last Wednesday I told him I respected the choice he had made and wished him the best. His last words to me were"we'll talk again". I sincerely hope that's true when my time comes. Rest in peace brother. My heartfelt condolences to Phil and the rest of the family who lost a great brother and uncle too soon.

Shared by tony grazulis on 9/2/2020 1:38 AM

I had the pleasure to work with Chris for 30 plus years at the GE Chicago Service Center. The ability and ingenuity winding motors and then generators for the majority of his career was unique. He was constantly coming up with ideas which he turned into fixtures to make the very hard work he and his co workers performed less tedious and much safer to perform. Some of the software he wrote for testing generator stators are still be used by generator specialists worldwide today. His skill level on all of critical operations that were performed by winders was beyond reproach. On a personal level I had the pleasure to work with his father and brother also. Chris was a very dedicated individual and a very respected craftsman by both his co workers and generator engineers. May he Rest In Peace.

Shared by rich molenhouse on 9/2/2020 12:52 AM

I had the opportunity to work with Chris early in my career as a gen spec and new immediately he was one of a kind. Very bright, funny, and low key. He never sought the limelight but was so creative, and contributed so much to help the business, that he was pretty well known to most in the field. My condolences to his family. The Lord took him too soon. Rest In Peace, Chris!

Shared by jim roberts on 9/2/2020 12:51 AM

I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of Chris. Chris and I worked together for many years and have been friends for even longer. We had plenty of good times together in the shop and on the road. He was a very smart and talented person who taught me a lot during our time at GE. I am grateful that I was able to be Chris' friend and colleague. Thanks for the memories and peace be with you my good friend. My condolences and prayers go out to the Willig family. Ted Guzy

Shared by ted guzy on 9/1/2020 7:25 PM

I am sorry for the loss of Chris he will be missed. I worked with Chris in out of the Chicago shop on various jobs he always had good techniques for the generators we were working on. I lost contact with him when I moved to Schenectady in generator rebuild and maintenance.

Shared by mike sminchak on 9/1/2020 6:41 PM

I only worked with Chris on one job, Davis Bessie. I had heard so many good things about this man. He was a great leader and I always considered him a friend. He was intelligent and a bright star. My condolences to his family. I was fortunate to have him in my life.

Shared by hank wurster on 9/1/2020 5:24 PM

I am truly sorry for the loss of Chris. He was a friend and colleague from GE for 23 years. I remember how gifted Chris was with his job. I loved his dry sense of humor. Chris was a downright good guy. He will be missed. Phil, my condolences go out to you and your entire family. Chris, May you Rest In Peace. I will see you someday on the other side. Gary Stewart

Shared by gary stewart on 9/1/2020 3:35 PM

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. I worked with Chris professionally for 34 years, initially with me a s field engineer and he coming to the job site I was on; then later when I was an engineer Ini the Service Shop. He was an extremely knowledgable, innovative technician and a great person that always was there to repair and teach.

Shared by ken warmac on 9/1/2020 11:11 AM

I worked with Chris on a few occasions in my thirty-five years at G.E. I say this because I worked on the other side of the plant in the Machine Shop. The times that we did work on the same projects, he was always one with his dry humor! Made you think about what you had just said. Very smart guy. Made his fellow employees jobs easier every day. God Bless him and his Family.

Shared by paul w lucas on 9/1/2020 12:31 AM

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I worked with Chris on numerous occasions and was always blessed to have his council and input. I can honestly say that he enabled me as an inexperienced and ignorant generator specialist to keep my head above water. I can't think of one time when he didn't provide me with the best solution to any work problem we encountered. I hope your entire family realizes how much Chris was respected by those in the GE generator community. On a personal level, I want you to know that I considered him a friend and hoped he thought of me as one also. I can only say that I thank God that he enabled me to meet and know the very special man that Chris was.

Shared by john walter on 8/31/2020 7:33 PM