Christopher Ploszaj Obituary

Christopher Stephen Ploszaj

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Christopher Stephen Ploszaj Friday, April 18, 2025.

He is survived by his mother, Sue Ploszaj of Findlay; brother, Matthew Ploszaj of Seattle, Washington; and sister, Annie; brother-in-law, Scot Matthews; niece, Adalynn; and nephew, Nathan of Westerville.

He was preceded in death by his father, Dennis Ploszaj; and cousin, Jennifer Springman.

Chris spent the first 15 years of his life living in Chatsworth, California. He moved with his family to Findlay in 1996. While attending Findlay High School, he was a member of the soccer and baseball teams. He boasted about the fact that he holds the record for the player to be hit by a pitch the most times. While living in Findlay, Chris was very involved in sports at the YMCA, umpiring baseball games and coaching youth baseball in the summer. He also spent many hours there on the basketball court.

He graduated in 1999 and attended college at Ohio Wesleyan University. While there, he majored in International Studies. In his junior year, he did an internship at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Needless to say he immediately fell in love with the city. While there as an intern, 9/11 occurred, and he was able to witness firsthand the traumatic effects of that day, as the National Defense University is directly across the Potomac from the Pentagon. Chris graduated from OWU in 2003. That fall, he entered the University of Kentucky to earn his master's degree. He graduated in 2005 with an honor's diploma in International Diplomacy and Counter-Terrorism.

He landed his first job in Virginia Beach working for the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) as a Research Associate in the Joint Advanced Warfighting Division. After spending two years collecting and analyzing lessons from interagency collaboration in combating terrorism at U.S. Embassies and remote locations across nine countries in central Africa, Chris volunteered for a four-month deployment in Iraq.

He served as the lone IDA representative supporting Task Force Troy, the organization charged with reporting on and assessing the impact of all improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and identifying and analyzing possible countermeasures. He later went on to spend six weeks in Africa, collecting data for various tasks, and he went to Afghanistan four different times, also collecting vital data. While at IDA, Chris spent time interviewing drug lords who were in prison, to gather data on combating the Trans South Atlantic Drug Trade.

In 2015, Chris left IDA and went to work for the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes (TFFC) within the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Chris quickly rose to be a Senior Policy Advisor, specializing in Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Africa, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands Portfolios, to name a few. He was often called in or volunteered to help with projects outside of his own work arena since he was proficient in all areas of the world. To quote several coworkers, "Chris was a true patriot. He advanced the mission and had a significant impact on the National Security of our country." "Chris was a Swiss army knife, a utility infielder that could be put into any situation and accomplish the mission." Chris' coworkers said that no matter how stressful the job would get at times, Chris would always say "Don't worry, we can handle this." Because of his friendly personality, he knew, by name, everyone in the building, including the janitors and security personnel. On April 24, 2025, a flag was flown over the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in honor of Chris' dedication and hard work. When asked about his job, he always replied, "I write policy for the United States of America, and it doesn't get any better than that."

Outside of work, Chris loved watching Purdue basketball and attended a few Big Ten Basketball Tournaments. In the summer you would see Chris wearing his LA Dodger bowtie to work.

Chris made a difference in this world and will be sorely missed by all of his coworkers, friends, and family.

We love you and will miss you.

Visitation will be from 3-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at COLDREN- CRATES FUNERAL HOME, Findlay. A scripture service, followed by a time of sharing, will start at 7 p.m. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 1, 2025, at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, Findlay.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Findlay Family YMCA (https://findlayymca.networkforgood.com/). Please designate that this is a memorial gift restricted to Youth Sports.

Online condolences can be shared by visiting coldrencrates.com.