VERO BEACH — A Vero Beach soldier who died unexpectedly while on active duty in Germany is coming home Friday as Memorial Day weekend gets underway.
Private First Class Christopher “Chris” Leone Belcher, 34, passed away May 3 in Germany, family members and officials with Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory said. His casket is scheduled to arrive around 3 p.m. at the Corporate Air Inc. facility at Vero Beach Airport, 2612 Airport North Drive.
Belcher, a 2011 graduate of Vero Beach High School, was born in Philadelphia and moved to the area as a teenager. He developed a lifelong passion for boxing and fitness while growing up here, according to his obituary.
Full military honors are planned for his arrival. Members of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Vero Beach Police Department, Indian River County Fire Rescue, and the U.S. Army will be on hand. The public will be able to watch from outside the airport gate but will not be allowed past security.
Sheriff’s officials will then escort the casket in a procession to the funeral home at 1655 27th St. The route will run along Aviation Boulevard to U.S. 1, then to 26th Street and finally 27th Street.
A private service for Belcher will be held at a later date, officials said. They described the manner of his death as an “honorable passing” but released few additional details.
Belcher is survived by his daughter, KiraBella Belcher, and the girl’s mother, Kayla; siblings Shalouna DeLeon, Ghia Chambers, and Edward Chambers; nephews Xavi and Vega; and other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Christy Belcher and Edward Chambers.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made in his name to the Wounded Warrior Project.