On October 24, 2022, United States Navy EODCS Joshua Austin Christy passed away after his battle with cancer attributed to his military service.
Having parents who worked at international private schools across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Christy was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. He also spent his childhood years living in Indonesia, Dubai, South Georgia, and North Florida. He has one younger brother, Travis, who took great inspiration from his older brother. Christy was involved in Boy Scouts, and excelled in both swimming and wrestling. He was a natural athlete and described as the life of the party. Christy was always drawn to adventure; he and his brother could be found bungee jumping in Thailand, hiking in New Mexico, or canoeing in the Northern Frontier. He had a passion for exploration and welcomed what life had to offer him from a very young age. Christy’s earliest aspirations included being an entomologist, having a fearlessness that gave him a love for bugs, nature, adventure, and anything that could give him a dose of adrenaline. He enjoyed hunting, camping, hiking, and spending time with friends and family. Christy and his wife, Stirling, met in the summer of 2009 and married in 2015 and started their family shortly after.
Carrying a legacy of service, Christy represented the third generation to wear a Navy uniform. He enlisted in 2006 and loved the tight knit community he shared with those he served with. They were family to him; there was nowhere he would rather be. Christy had a goal to follow in his uncle’s and grandfather’s footsteps by becoming a Chief Petty Officer. In record time, he achieved that goal and even advanced to Senior Chief. He had also wanted to put in the years necessary to be a Master Blaster in the Navy. Throughout his career, Christy was awarded with a Bronze Star with Valor in Afghanistan while saving the life of a critically wounded comrade despite being subjected to deadly and accurate enemy fire. In January of 2022, Christy deployed with concerning neurological symptoms. He was later sent home in June of 2022 and was ultimately diagnosed with Glioblastoma and Leptomeningeal disease. He and his wife celebrated their wedding anniversary on October 10, 2022 while he was in hospice, and he sadly passed away just two weeks later on October 24, 2022 with his wife and his brother by his side.
Currently, Stirling enjoys going to the beach, swimming, and reading. She would like to thank Christy’s brother, LCDR Travis Christy, his family, and her family and friends for being there to support her during her time of need. In the future, Stirling is most excited to have stability for her children and the opportunity to live a life of fun and adventure–just as she and Christy always had. She is grateful to Tunnel to Towers for providing her family with this emotional and financial stability to be able to remain in her home and allow her children to remain in their known environment. Stirling would like others to know that her husband is a legend. He left a great impact on so many lives. You could hear his laugh from a mile away and she is sure she will still hear it even now that he is gone.
United States Navy EODCS Joshua Austin Christy is survived by his wife, Stirling, his children, his brother, Travis, and his parents, Jim and Becky.