Christopher Blanton, beloved son, brother and friend, passed away on October 24, 2024 at the age of 42.

Chris was born in Mullins, South Carolina and his southern drawl would put people he interacted with at ease. Chris received a doctorate in chemistry from Syracuse University and took great pride in being an Orange. Chris worked for the past decade as a research facilitator and HPC advocate and champion, helping to teach and enable others to love supercomputing and scientific discovery. He had positions at Penn State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State Universities and had started taking on leadership roles at the national level for academic supercomputing.

Chris always excelled in his endeavors, and he often overcame many challenges to do so. He was an avid reader early in life while dealing with undiagnosed dyslexia. While he battled thyroid issues as a child but still became the only freshman on his high school varsity football team. He earned the academic respect of his peers at every educational stage even while fighting undiagnosed ADHD. His childhood joys included martial arts, wrestling, and a love of the army, thanks to his grandfather who he idolized along with his father. His love of computers and technology developed thanks to a gift of a DOS-based laptop gifted to him by an uncle. While his nickname changed from Mega-Blanton to Doc, his natural ability combined with a tenacious drive did not change. Through all, Chris continued to be a team player and build up those around him.

Chris was a fiercely loyal and principled man, and had a deep impact on his friends and family. His dedication to learning and impressive commitment towards picking up and mastering unique hobbies amazed all. His desire to continue learning and growing as an individual led him to a full, rich and eclectic life, as well as leaving behind many unread books on potential new hobbies and skills that he was preparing to learn. While most of this was a desire to better understand things that he took delight in, Chris also spent time learning about the things that his friends and family held dear, allowing him to make those he cared about feel included and appreciated. Chris was a pagan, loved the occult, had an appreciation for Norse mythology and Hermeticism, and delighted in off-beat art from film to comic books. Chris encouraged people to be themselves and to take joy in what makes them unique.

Chris was preceded in death by his father, Johnny Blanton, and is survived by his mother, Karen Blanton; his brother, Brian Blanton, and his beloved cat, Pixie.

Chris's family and friends suggest that everyone raise a glass of their favorite mead and say skål to exploring the joys of life, read a well-loved book, and engage in a new or forgotten hobby in Chris's honor. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Frabjous Catfe (frabjouscatfe.com) in Wake Forest, North Carolina, or to a local chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).