Christopher L. Rauscher

Christopher L. Rauscher, 71, of Manlius and formerly of Glens Falls, passed away unexpectedly at the Klinikum Nürnberg Süd, in Nürnberg, Germany on January 14, 2023 while vacationing in Europe. 

Born on March 3, 1951 in Summit, New Jersey, Chris was the third of four children of Dr. Grant K. Rauscher and Rosalind Rebecca (Smith) Rauscher. He attended school in Latham and Glens Falls, New York and graduated from high school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from George Washington University, where he also earned a varsity letter in crew. Chris continued his education at Syracuse University, earning a Masters Degree in Accounting and the Juris Doctor degree.

Chris became a Certified Public Accountant in New York State in 1979 and an Attorney at Law in New York State in 1985.  In his accounting work, he specialized in preparing audited financial statements and corporation, not for profit, partnership, and individual income tax returns. As a lawyer, he specialized in real estate law, concentrating on HUD financed and subsidized residential rental real estate projects and conventionally financed apartment complexes.  Chris used his expertise in these areas to become an active real estate developer in the central New York area.  In addition to his accounting and legal work, Chris was an adjunct professor at LeMoyne College.   Of Chris’s professional career, a colleague aptly summarized it in saying “He will truly be missed. I have some voicemails of his that I will save forever. He was so kind spirited!”

As an avid sportsman, Chris joined the Syracuse Chargers Track Club in the mid-1980s and developed into a competitive long-distance runner.  He competed in numerous races, including local races such as the Utica Boilermaker and nationally known races such as the Marine Corps Marathon and the San Francisco Marathon.  Chris’s fastest time for the grueling 26 mile plus marathon was just over 3 hours and 3 minutes at the Mohawk – Hudson River Marathon in 1994.  This mark earned Chris All-American status; it was well under the required qualifying time of 3:13:23.

In addition to running, Chris enjoyed several hobbies.  He was a collector of vintage sports cars and loved his Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster, and MGB.  He inherited his love of baseball from his father and was a lifelong fan; he visited the Baseball Hall of Fame and attended numerous professional games.  Chris loved watching classic movies, especially westerns, and often watched them out of the corner of his eye as he worked in the middle of the night on his avocation of analyzing the stock market and fine tuning his investments to beat the experts.

Chris enjoyed the serenity of his vacation house on DeRuyter Lake, where he frequently hosted family and friends for picnics and parties.  He especially enjoyed taking his nieces and nephews tubing behind his speedboat as well as taking his parents on sightseeing boat rides.  He liked grilling classic American summer meals and sharing steamed clams with his guests. 

Due to a congenital heart defect, Chris had open heart surgery to replace a valve in November 2012.  Unfortunately, that valve deteriorated, requiring a second surgery some years later.  Despite those problems, Chris fulfilled a lifelong dream of vacationing in Europe by embarking on a European river cruise in December 2022 accompanied by his best friend Bob Mannis.  Shortly before Christmas, he called his siblings to describe what a wonderful trip he was experiencing.  Tragically, on Christmas Eve he suffered a massive stroke that led to his untimely death. 

Chris is predeceased by his parents and survived by his siblings Tomlinson (Carol), Daniel (Linda), and Betsy Persichetty (Mike); eleven nieces and nephews; and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews. 

Funeral arrangements are in the care of Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Homes in Waterville, New York.  Interment will be at the Deansboro Cemetery in a family plot.  A celebration of life service will be held on June 17 in Waterville.  Interested parties may contact family members for details.  Since Chris was a lifelong advocate of providing educational opportunities to young people, in lieu of flowers, the family respectfully encourages donations to the "Glens Falls CSD Scholarship Fund" mailed to the attention of District Treasurer Janice Casey at the Glens Falls CSD Business Office, 15 Quade Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801.