William “Bill” Melvin Christman, Jr., age 58, of Chattanooga, TN, fell asleep in Jesus on September 30, 2026. He was born on February 9, 1968, in Charlotte, NC, to RoseAnn Davis Christman Fortune and the late William Melvin Christman, Sr.

Bill was awarded the prestigious honor to attend the Boy’s State, Governor’s School and state STEM school. He started taking college classes when he was 10 years old and was in a computer enthusiast group when he was 12 where he started doing computer automation projects for Card-Monroe Corporation when he was 14. He was a graduate of Hixson High School.

He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech while he was working at Card Monroe Corporation. A brilliant electrical and computer engineer, Bill worked in the carpet industry for nearly 40 years. He was an innovator in his field, designing specialized carpet tufting machines and holding approximately 30 patents throughout his distinguished career. Bill truly loved his work, finding genuine joy in coding, technical design, and complex problem-solving.

He traveled extensively for CMC and has visited Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Luxembourg, Mexico, and Switzerland, 

Above all, Bill was a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, and son-in-law. He was completely devoted to his son, Eli, serving as his personal skeet shooting coach and helping guide him all the way to competing with Team USA. Bill was also deeply involved with the Scholastic Clay Target Program, giving back to the sport and community he loved. In his free time, he enjoyed traveling and simply being in the company of his cherished family and friends.

Survivors include his wife, Ronda May Westman Christman; his beloved son, Eli Nazaret Christman; his mother, RoseAnn (Kenneth A.) Fortune; his brother, Jeff Christman; his nephews, Brian Christman and Sean Christman; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family members. 

He was dearly loved and will be deeply missed by family and friends. Heaven will be a wonderful place to all spend eternity together.

The family will host a Celebration of Life at a later date and details will be listed here when available.

Higgins Funeral Home is privileged to offer comfort, care, and support to the family of William “Bill” Melvin Christman, Jr.