Memorial Service Will Be Held for Schoolteacher Christopher Popejoy

A memorial service will be held Sunday for the son of well-known residents William and Nancy Popejoy. Christopher Todd Popejoy, a junior high school teacher, died Sunday in an off-road vehicle accident on a friend’s ranch in the Sacramento area. He was 27.

Popejoy, who was working toward a master’s degree in education at National University in Sacramento, was driving his four-wheel-drive vehicle when it overturned, killing him and injuring a passenger. The accident occurred on private property in Elk Grove, located about 15 miles south of the state capital, the California Highway Patrol said.

“Chris died doing something he loved,” said his 30-year-old brother, Matt Popejoy. “He had a zest for life that a lot of people have never experienced. He went full steam ahead, eyes wide open. He squeezed every precious moment out and probably experienced more in 27 years than most people do in their entire life.”

His parents, 10-year Newport Beach residents, are active supporters of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Adoption Guild of Orange County and the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club.

William Popejoy is also a principal of the Irvine-based Robert M. Bass Group, which last year bought out American Savings Bank in a government-assisted transaction. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of the bank before the buyout.

Christopher Popejoy taught history and English at Andrew Carnegie Junior High School in Fair Oaks, near Sacramento.

He previously worked as a substitute teacher in South Central Los Angeles and the east San Fernando Valley.

He was a graduate of the University of Southern California and a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. Raised chiefly in the Beverly Hills area, he graduated from California Preparatory School in Van Nuys.

In addition to his parents and his brother Matt, he is survived by another brother, Parry Popejoy, and his godchildren, Christopher Ales and Jessica Masserman.

Sunday’s memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. at Mariners Church, 1000 Bison Ave., Newport Beach. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Christopher Popejoy’s name be made to Victory Outreach Church in Los Angeles.