A champion snowmobiler who felt most at home in the mountains died on April 6 after he was severely injured in a snowmobile accident on Cornice Ridge near Tony Grove in northern Utah.

Chris Checketts, of Providence, Utah, died on his 56th birthday in a Salt Lake City Hospital, and while his death was a blow to his family, it was a lifesaving journey that gave life to two people who each received one of his kidneys.

One of those recipients was a Las Vegas woman who was his sister’s good friend and had already been through two unsuccessful procedures.

Checketts was a match, and the woman was able to call his family and tell them the surgery was successful, said Cami Boehme, one of his sisters.

“So many things had to go right for that to happen,” Boehme said.

Checketts won the King of the Mountain snowmobile hill climbs in Jackson Hole in 1986, and two weeks ago he returned to try it again, albeit in a different age bracket. Even though he had recently had his shoulder operated on, Checketts was one of five qualifiers in the non-pro master class.

Checketts was the owner of Custom Counter Tops in Providence, where his wife, Sandra, is also his business partner. As the parents of five children, they firmly believe that the kitchen is a critical component of a home and they found a great deal of joy in helping families create that special place within their home.

Chris was the son of Stan Checketts, local business owner and amusement ride inventor, and Jo Checketts, Salt Lake City resident. According to his obituary, Chris was the one who recovered Stan when he was buried in an avalanche while snowmobiling.

Search and rescue volunteers were dispatched to the Tony Grove area after Checketts was involved in an accident that left him with serious injuries. By the time he was loaded on a medical helicopter three hours later, emergency medical personnel were performing CPR.

While his heart started beating again that night, his injuries were just too serious, and the family removed him from life support.