Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

August 5, 2018

Christopher G. Bitterlin

Our beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend passed away peacefully in North Carolina on August 5, 2018. Chris was born in San Diego on September 25, 1953 to Dustine and Louis J. Bitterlin and raised in Point Loma. A talented athlete, he excelled at sports from a young age. Chris attended San Diego Military Academy where his father was headmaster and later Point Loma High School, graduating with honors in 1971 and as a champion tennis and basketball player. On a bright sunny day in the summer of 1970 at the Kona Kai Club on Shelter Island, he met his darling wife Robin, and they began a lifelong journey together for 48 years, always side by side.

Chris arrived at USC in 1971 and quickly met the gentlemen who would become his lifelong friends. It was in college that he and his friends discovered the joys of golf. It was a game he enjoyed playing throughout his life with his friends, son Andrew and son-in-law Kyle. He firmly believed the game of golf “revealed the true character of a man.”

Following USC, he moved to Santa Barbara where a summer job that started as assistant tennis pro at Montecito Country Club turned into head tennis pro not long after.

Chris married his soulmate Robin on May 19, 1979 and they proudly bought their first home in Carpinteria, CA while he went to law school and later passed the California Bar in 1982. His eldest daughter Alexandra was born in the same year.

With his second daughter Micaela on the way, Chris and Robin moved back to San Diego and built their family home in Point Loma Woods where they resided for over 30 years. The birth of his son Andrew joyfully followed in 1987.

Chris found great success and happiness in his work as a developer in San Diego. He had a true gift in envisioning how to transform a piece of land into something that would benefit its greater community. A highlight was the opening of Coors Amphitheater in 1998 in Chula Vista, a place that remains the preeminent music and entertainment venue in San Diego 20 years later. Chris was also named one of 50 people to watch by San Diego Magazine in 1999.

With his son Andrew attending Davidson College in North Carolina, Chris and Robin’s journey led them to discover the city of Charlotte and Lake Norman in 2005, where they settled full time in 2014. From porch time, cocktail cruises on the lake, rounds of golf, and new development projects, it was here he was most at peace surrounded by his family.

He recently joined the U.S. Seniors Golf Association and enjoyed the competitive spirit of each tournament, having collected several championship plates that he proudly displayed in his office.

A loving husband, he set an example to all of us on the beauty of marriage. A devoted father to his three children and grandfather of four, he was our role model and hero.

His greatest joys were coaching his children, days at the beach with his family in La Jolla, playing the best golf courses in the world with his friends, and, later, time spent sitting next to Robin in his rocking chair on the porch overlooking the lake in North Carolina.

Chris was a man of great integrity and a true gentleman. He is survived by his wife Robin of 39 years; children Alexandra Reisman (and Geoffrey), Micaela Brewer (and Kyle), Andrew Bitterlin (and Claudia); and grandchildren Charlotte, Lily and Parker Brewer, and Natalie Reisman.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, August 24 at 10:30 a.m. at The Immaculata, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are welcomed to the Chris Bitterlin Legacy Fund supporting causes important to him, including higher education, the Navy SEALs, and junior golf. https://www.gofundme.com/chris-bitterlin-legacy-fund

Big Dad, we will love you and miss you forever. We find peace in knowing your last day was spent playing a round of golf on one of your favorite courses—a round you won, on the last hole by a single shot. Way to go!