LETOLO CHRISTOPHER JAMES FOEOLETINI LEDOUX

Born Christopher James Foeoletini Ledoux on August 11, 1987, to Leulua'iali'i and Lillian Ledoux, Chris was a middle child - the only son and brother to four sisters. In 2019, he was bestowed a matai (Chief) title, Letolo, from his GI family of Pago Pago. He was a loving husband and father to six young children. On February 29, 2020, Chris died after losing his long, hard-fought battle with drug addiction. 

Chris was a jack of many trades - a mechanic, electrician, plumber, painter, and carpenter. He was the best combination of creativity and technical skills as he could fix everything he got his hands on. He was great at improvising, always so quick to think of solutions using the tools and resources around him. He was a collector, a DIY genius, and had a life hack for everything in large part because he found actual value in what others deemed worthless.

A proud son of American Samoa, Chris attended Mary the Mother Montessori, Pago Pago Elementary, and Nu'uuli Polytechnical High School. He pursued his higher education at American River College in Sacramento, California, and Wyotech Institute in Laramie, Wyoming. After he graduated college at the young age of 20, he returned home and started his own business, Pago Marine, working on heavy equipment, diesel engines, and purse seiner boats. 

Chris was loved by his family, friends, and community. He was a fantastic person, a funny, kind, and loving soul. Although Chris had a great support system, he made certain decisions that led him down a destructive path at some point in his life. Chris spent several years in and out of rehab and recovery facilities. After being clean for ten months in 2018, he returned home to American Samoa. 

Upon returning home, Chris shared with his family how easy it was to access drugs - specifically, methamphetamine (meth) on the island. He talked about how the village raised him, was now the same village plagued with drugs, turning sons and daughters of American Samoa into helpless addicts. 

Chris's tragic death gave birth to this foundation and ignited the passion for joining the movement on-island to fight drug addiction. Through this foundation, drug awareness and educational resources will be provided to all families and individuals fighting their own battle against drug abuse and addiction. Although Chris's journey to recovery ended, his family vows to continue the work they started with him in hopes of saving another life.