Doyle E. "Chris" Chrisman, age 97, died October 29, 2016, at Good Samaritan Denton Village after living a long and healthy life.

Chris was born July 26, 1919, one of seven children born to B.C. and Lavada Ezzell Chrisman in Callahan County, Texas. He married Margret Massie on December 25, 1941 in Van Alstyne, Texas. She preceded him in death in 2003.

He was a graduate of Baird High School and received his Bachelor's degree from North Texas State Teachers College (Now University of North Texas) in 1941 and his Masters degree from North Texas in 1946.  He attended North Texas on a track scholarship and was a member of relay teams that set records at the Kansas and Pennsylvania relays.  In 1986 he was inducted into the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame. Chris taught school at Dayton, Port Author, Arlington and Panhandle before coming to Denton in 1948 as a teacher and track coach at Denton High School.  He was principal at the Old Sam Houston elementary School from 1956 until 1970 when he moved to Frank Borman School as its first principal.  He was Personnel Director for the Denton Public Schools from 1976 until his retirement in 1981, having served the district for 33 years.

Mr. Chrisman served as a Captain in the Army Air Corps during World War II and the Korean conflict.

He was active in community affairs having served on numerous boards and commissions, was past president of the Denton Kiwanis Club and was a past member of the Cumberland Children's Home board of trustees.  He was a member of the Retired Teachers Association and held a life membership in the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers.  He was instrumental in organizing the Denton Boys baseball program in the 1950's.  He was a past member of the Presidents Council, a member of the Mean Green Club and the Letterman's Association at the University of North Texas. Chris was a member of the First Christian Church where he served as a member of the Diaconate.

Chris is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Clyde and Bonnie Chrisman of Tulsa, Oklahoma; granddaughter and her husband, Jennifer and Rob Campbell and their children, Alice and Will, of Bozeman, Montana; grandson and his wife, Blake and Brittan Chrisman and their children, Campbell and Easton, of Dallas, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to give a special thank you to Chris's good friend and caregiver, Martha Coin, and the staff at Good Samaritan and Ann's Haven VNA.

Services will be held at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, November 2, 2016, at the First Christian Church in Denton. Interment will follow at 4 PM in Van Alstyne Cemetery in Van Alstyne, Texas. The family will receive friends following the service at the First Christian Church.

Memorials may be made to First Christian Church of Denton, or the Denton Kiwanis Club Children's Clinic Fund.

DeBerry Funeral Directors in Denton is in charge of arrangements.