Biography:

Christopher Stewart Baguley, beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle, coach, and friend, passed away unexpectedly on August 13, 2026, at the age of 45.

Chris grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he attended Fayetteville High School and graduated in 1999. He went on to attend Hendrix College, earning a bachelor’s degree in history, and later continued his education at the Institute for the Study of the Americas at the University of London, where he earned a master’s degree in economics. He built a successful career in municipal finance and spent 15 years with Crews & Associates, where he served as Managing Director of Municipal Trading. He was respected for his intelligence, dedication, professionalism, and, most of all, the genuine relationships he built with the people around him.  His calming presence put everyone at ease, and perhaps most memorably, he could make just about anyone laugh.

But Chris’s greatest accomplishments were never found on a résumé. They were found in the life he built with his family.

Chris and Sarah had crossed paths many times throughout their college years and even lived in the United Kingdom at the same time—Chris in London and Sarah in Oxford—without ever meeting. It was not until the King Biscuit Blues Festival that their paths finally crossed, when what felt like fate, and what Sarah believes was divine timing, brought them together. From that moment, they spent four years falling in love and getting engaged, culminating in 13 years of marriage and a life centered around one another and the family they created.

Chris adored his wife. Their marriage, like any real marriage, took work, and they chose to show up for that work, to face the hard parts together, and to give each other grace. They endured losing their daughter Bryn, and in doing so, they grew, not apart, but deeper in love. They brought one another an extraordinary amount of happiness and peace.

Sarah, ever the questioner, would sometimes ask Chris if he was truly happy. His answer was always simple: “You’re my person.” He would tell her that he would rather be with her alone than anywhere in a crowd. That was Chris—steady, certain, and completely sure of where his heart belonged. In these last few years of his life, Chris was happier than he had ever been. He had the family he had always wanted, the life he had worked so hard to build, and the woman he loved beside him. He was deeply content in the life they had created together.

Chris’s greatest joy, however, was being a father to his sons. He adored his boys and took immense pride in the people they were becoming. Some of his happiest moments were spent watching them play baseball and basketball, coaching their youth sports teams, or simply being present for the everyday moments of their lives. He will always be their favorite coach. Chris’s influence extended far beyond his own children. As a youth sports coach, he invested in countless young athletes, teaching them teamwork, sportsmanship, confidence, and how to carry themselves both on and off the court. He had a steady positivity, a calm energy, a humble nature, and an instinct to help anyone who needed it.

An avid sports fan, Chris loved the Arkansas Razorbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals. Whether watching his favorite teams, coaching from the dugout or sideline, or cheering on his boys, sports were one of the many ways Chris found joy and connected with the people he loved.

Chris also had a love for music, especially the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Something about the purity and poetry of their words spoke to him in a way little else did.  When their daughter, Bryn, passed away in 2018, “Blackbird” became a song Chris and Sarah turned to together. Its words about a broken thing learning to fly became intertwined with their grief and their love for their daughter, and the song will forever belong to Chris and Bryn.

Now, as Sarah says goodbye to the man who was her person, she finds herself returning to the music they loved and to another simple bit of wisdom: “Let it be.” It is not easy to let go of a life that was so deeply loved, especially one that felt so full and so happy so recently. But Chris leaves behind a love that does not end with his life. It lives on in Sarah, in Brooks and Will, in Bryn’s memory, and in every person fortunate enough to have been loved by him.

Chris will be remembered for his intelligence, his humor, his steadiness, his generosity, and the quiet way he made the people around him feel safe and loved. He will be remembered as a devoted husband, an extraordinary father, a favorite coach, a loyal friend, and a man who worked hard to build a beautiful life for the people he loved. The love he poured into his family will continue to be showcased every day they have left to live without him.

His greatest legacy is the family he leaves behind. Sarah was his person. Brooks and Will were his greatest joy. Bryn was, and always will be, his daughter. 

Let it be, Chris. You are loved beyond measure, and you always will be.

Christopher is survived by his wife, Sarah; his sons, Brooks and Will; his mother, Mary Baguley; his father and stepmother, Stewart and Karen Baguley; his siblings, Elizabeth Meighan (Bradlee), Kelli Piontek (Joe), and Garrett Jones; and his nieces and nephews, Lennon Estes, Charlotte Estes, Ben Piontek, and Emma Piontek. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Bryn, and his parents-in-law, Harry and Connie Starnes.

A service celebrating Christopher’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at St. James United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com