Chris Lee Bain

Chris Lee Bain of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, “crossed to the other side camp” as he described it, May 13, 2026, surrounded by family and friends. Chris was born September 23, 1952 at Travis Air Force Base in California to Russell and Edna Bain. He graduated from Rancho Cordova High School, where he excelled in competitive swimming. In his 20s, Chris explored different paths, such as managing a restaurant, swim coaching, white water river guiding in the summer and being a chef in Lake Tahoe winter season.

In 1981, Chris met his wife, Donna, when he trained her to be a river guide. They married on the Spring Equinox of 1982. Their daughter, Crystal, joined the family in 1984. It was then that Chris decided to become a teacher. He earned his Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, with a minor in Professional Education in 1987, at National University. He taught one year as a Title One teacher with the Sacramento Unified School District before moving his family to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The first job that Chris and Donna had for Coeur d’Alene School District 271 was cooking for Trail Creek (an outdoor experience program for all sixth graders). Chris became program director the following year and four additional years, during which he created many treasured memories for sixth graders, high school councilors, teachers and camp staff. Chris became a first grade teacher at Winton Elementary in1989. He also enjoyed having third and fourth grade classes. Some of his students will remember the Patrick McManus passage reading contests initiated by Chris (and continued today by his daughter and teacher, Crystal.)

Chris joined the staff at Woodland Middle School in 2002, finding a niche as a P.E. instructor. He also was very proud of his work to help create the Coeur d’Alene district's Crisis Response Team. His work ensured schools received immediate compassionate support during times of need for both students and staff. In 2015, he further championed the implementation of Question Persuade Refer (QPR) training throughout the district to combat suicide. By connecting the school district with local business and political leaders, he helped build a robust prevention network that continues today by extending assistance not only to schools, but also private charters and neighboring educational communities. Chris applied his skills to the School Emergency Response Planning (SERP) team for many years as well.

Chris retired from teaching in 2017 after 30 years. He embraced volunteering within months of retiring by becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). He spent five years advocating in the best interests of children who had experienced abuse or neglect by researching cases, conducting interviews and making recommendations to the court. He was always working for children. His love of spending time with his granddaughter Elli, grandson Kam and daughter Crystal (a fourth grade teacher) brought him to Sorensen Elementary, where he enjoyed helping students with Math and Reading. His natural storytelling abilities were put to good use regaling classes with adventurous stories such as, “Swish, Swish.”

Chris loved the outdoors, water and fishing. He spent many summer seasons as a fishing guide for Castaway Fly Fishing Shop. He enjoyed his collection of boats, including kayaks, canoes, rafts, a kick boat, a sailboat, a sea dory and aluminum fishing craft. It was the joy of his life to take Elli and Kam fishing for the first time. He and Donna could be seen around town enjoying their recumbent bikes with their faithful poodle, Rio, trotting alongside. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Donna, his daughter, Crystal Bain and her husband, Kent Allen, and their children Elli and Kam. He also is survived by his sister, Janet, and brother, David, and their families, as well as Donna’s family and a multitude of nieces and nephews, dear friends, past students and a community where he made a difference. He was a good man.