Brent Derrick Ching
Brent Derrick Ching was born to Bob and Phyllis Ching on November 16, 1971 at Los Angeles White Memorial Hospital. He joined a family that already included big brother Brian. After Baby Bradley was born in 1982, Brent became the Middle Ching.
The Chings moved to Oroville in 1975 where Brent began his 9 year tenure at Feather River Adventist School. It was here that he developed his superior athletic skills, excelling at football, baseball, and basketball. He mastered the single water ski in one day at age nine, and he was forever hooked. Brent went on to graduate from Paradise Adventist Academy in 1989. His selfless personality, love for people, loyalty to friends and family cultivated lifelong friendships at a young age. Brent’s scholastic talents were commensurate with his athletic abilities, as he obtained his Bachelors of Science in 1993 in biochemistry at Pacific Union College. En route to attending Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, Brent conjured up a year of fun sharing his talents as a ski instructor, and enjoying the life of a ski bum in Sun Valley, Idaho. Much to the relief of his parents, he bade farewell to the slopes and graduated with his DDS in 1998 as the best skier in his class.
Moving back to Oroville, Brent established his practice in Chico, California in 1999. Dr. Brent refined Chico Dental Arts into a practice of the first order in the coming years. With his winning smile, passion for life, and charming good looks, he won the heart of Kristen Mautz, who became his wife September 23, 2001. Their boundless love and joy with the birth of Hailey Annabelle on October 18, 2003 sparked a baby revolution. The rest of their family and friends followed suit with their own broods. Brent and Kristen then added Caleb Derrick on April 2, 2005 in another fine showing of how to produce first rate offspring.
Brent was a great inspiration with his devotion to family, friends and patients. He brought us immense love and happiness and will live in our hearts forever.
Kristen DeAnn Mautz
Kristen DeAnn Mautz was the first child born to Rick and Cheryl Mautz on August 24th, 1977 in Loma Linda, California. Two years later, Jeffery Richard was born to complete the Mautz family. Kristen was a natural at being a big sister who adored her baby brother.
The family moved from Washington and relocated to Virginia for several years before ultimately settling in Paradise, California in 1989, where they were surrounded by a large family. Kristen started the 7th grade at Paradise Adventist Academy. In Paradise the Mautz’s found a church family, school, hospital and community that would become and remains their home. Kristen graduated from Paradise Adventist Academy in 1996. She is remembered as a beautiful girl who always had a smile on her face, she was an organizer, a basketball player, leader and friend to all. She then attended PUC for a year and a half, before transferring to the nursing program at Loma Linda University. During this time, Kristen joined friends on a ski weekend at the Delta. That is where she was introduced to Brent Ching and they soon became inseparable. Brent showed Kristen the joys of water skiing, mountain biking, and camping. As Kristen grew to love Brent she grew to love all the other Chings as well. Brent presented Kristen with a graduation gift in the form of Acacia, a 10 week old St. Bernard puppy, her nametag simply read “I’m Kristen’s dog!” In 2001 Kristen & Brent were married in a beautiful lakeside ceremony surrounded by hundreds of family and friends, with Acacia as the ring bearer.
Kristen and Brent moved into a beautiful new home in Durham where they started and raised their family of four. This home became an open, welcoming center of love and community as they hosted many family functions, evenings with friends and parties. Kristen and Brent will always be treasured by their strong network of friends.
Kristen, like her mother, was dedicated, attentive, and loving and thought by many to be model mother.
Hailey Annabella Ching
Hailey Annabella Ching was born to Brent and Kristen Ching on Oct. 18, 2003 in Paradise, California. It was a special moment for the Chings bringing the 1st grandchild into the world. She was such a quick learner on the ski slopes that she spent her 1st and 2nd Christmas mornings skiing down in Brent’s jacket and then on her own flying down the bunny slopes. A small version of Kristen, she loved being among people and was such an outgoing, sociable child, always leaving a wonderful impression on people with her witty humor and big hugs. Having a very creative mind, Ammie, Dadda, Ni-Ni, Yeh-Yeh, Poppa, Deff and Uncle Ba were some of the fun names she came up with for all her loved ones. She took on the big role of “mother hen” among her cousins, taking care of each of them and making sure they all stayed in line. Hailey was the type of child that lit up a room with her smile when she entered and then you found yourself feeling happy because she touched your life in some way with her curiosity, gentleness and sensitivity to others.
Hailey started Chico Oaks Preschool in 2007 and left a memory of a radiant and fun loving child, who was ready to take on another brother to adore. We will always remember her zest for life and look forward to the day that she will brighten our lives again.
Caleb Derrick Ching
Caleb Derrick Ching was born to Brent and Kristen Ching on April 2, 2005 at Oroville Hospital, making Hailey a proud big sister. Kristen often said she could not imagine loving anyone as much as her firstborn, Hailey, but was happily proven wrong upon Caleb’s arrival. He was surrounded with love which he mirrored with his radiant and mischievous smile, inherited from Brent. Also like his father, he was athletically precocious, swimming at nine months, walking at 11 months and skiing at 20 months of age.
Caleb was a fearless daredevil, bombing down the ski slopes behind his beloved Yeh-Yeh at age 3. As a self proclaimed powder hound, he was soon spending more time on the mountain than in the lodge with his hot chocolate, boasting of his conquest of the Middle Ching ski run. Caleb’s special talent was capturing the hearts of all around him, generously bestowing his favorite saying “l love you” to all. We know this to be a true statement as he had no internal monologue.
Caleb blessed Chico Oaks Preschool with his boundless energy and enthusiasm, and is survived by Mocha snowball, the floppy eared bunny, and Acacia, the family Saint Bernard. He was to be the next Middle Ching with a baby brother in the works. We have been blessed with Caleb’s life, and Caleb will forever be in our hearts.