Christopher Gerald Bellard, age 49, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, passed away after a sudden and unexpected battle with cancer.
Chris was born on May 31, 1972 to parents James and Mary (Shelton) Bellard in Lexington, Mississippi. When Chris was just 18 months old, the Bellard family relocated to Michigan and settled in Ypsilanti. He attended St. Alexis Elementary, Edmonson Middle School and Willow Run High School. He enjoyed music and played the trombone. After high school, Chris worked at several local restaurants including, Red Lobster, Smoke House Blues, and Maiz. He enjoyed meeting new people each shift and making new friends along the way.
In his spare time, Chris enjoyed various hobbies that included playing piano, rooting for the Duke Blue Devils and the Lakers during basketball season, reading Marvel comics, and playing video games. He loved being around his dog, Jax, who brought him great amounts of joy.
He was preceded in death by his father, James Gerald Bellard; his maternal grandparents, James and Mary Jane Shelton; his paternal grandparents, Joseph and Margaret Bellard; his great-grandmother, Caroline “Boss” Fairfax; and his uncle, John “Butch” Bellard.
Chris will be deeply missed by his mother, Mary Bellard; his siblings, Patrick (Jennifer) Bellard, Bethany Bellard, and James (Coretta) Gibson; his lifelong best friends, Frederick Lee and Pamela (Kenneth) Shaffer; his Godmother & aunt, Caroline (Donald) Babineaux; his aunts and uncles, Arthur (Addie) Shelton, Joyce Shelton, Sherry Johnson, and Dr. Joy (Cedric) Hooper; and his nieces and nephews, Jimmy, Michael, Danté, Noelle, Zoë, Alejandro, Isabella, and Gia.
Memorial Gathering will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Nie Family Funeral Home, 2400 Carpenter Road, Ann Arbor. Scripture Service will be held at 7:00 pm by Deacon Wayne Charlton. Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:00 am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 411 Florence Street, Ypsilanti, with Fr. Daniel Westermann officiating. Friends and family are welcome to start gathering at 9:00 am.