Chris Regester's Obituary
Beverly Ann “Chris” Regester (Christianson) passed away peacefully in her home in Olympia WA on the 5th of June 2018.
The only daughter of Herbert and Maryan (Fuller) Christianson, Chris was born on January 1, 1931 in Tacoma WA. She graduated from Stadium High School (Class of 1948) and attended Whitman College for one year. On January 20, 1951 Chris married her “one and only” high school sweetheart, John “Jack” Regester who preceded her in death.
Chris loved and was very much loved by her family. She is survived by her sons, Scott, Greg (Jerrine), Ross (Mary) and daughter, Dana, 9 grandchildren, Rebekah (Jake), Evan (Dannikke), Melissa (Patricia), Kelsey (Tyler), Aaron, Jessica (Kevin), Jena (Stanley), Jacob, and Katherine, 10 great-grandchildren, Jayna, Collin, Jonathan, Annabelle, Madeline, Kaiden, Sawyer, Benson, Graysen, Cameron and one on the way. She is also survived by her younger brother Don (Jackie) Christianson, several nieces and nephews and their families. She was preceded in death by her older brother Earle Christianson.
Chris found great joy in family gatherings. If she wasn’t laughing and enjoying the antics of her grand and great-grandchildren you would find her deep in one-on-one conversation catching up on the latest news. She was an astute listener, open-minded and thoughtful. These gatherings would inevitably include moments of reminiscence that started with “When we lived at the beach…” referring to the 10 years the family spent in Grayland WA where Jack served as a Washington State Patrol line officer. After this memorable time the family relocated to the Olympia/Lacey area where Chris resided for 52 years.
She stayed in touch with her high school friends of 70 years and was on the planning committee for the upcoming Class of ’48 reunion. She shared her faith with her spiritual family at St. Andrews United Methodist Church (Lacey WA) where she was an active member for 54 years. She was also a member of the International Footprint Association for over 20 years. Chris enjoyed encounters with lives whose touched hers in her daily life and often made thoughtful gestures by offering a ride to a doctor’s appointment, a jar of jam, or kind words of encouragement, support, acknowledgement and recognition.
Chris was a skilled homemaker. She was an exceptional cook making it look effortless. She found great joy in making jam, cookies and adapting the next new thing from her abundant collection of cookbooks. She was also a caregiver, loving grandmother and great-grandmother, and used her eye for detail and customer service talents at the Thurston County Medical Bureau for over 20 years.
Chris’ life was reflective of The Silent Generation, born during the Great Depression and raised through the years of WWII. She began her caregiving career as a babysitter for mothers who worked during war times for a wage of 35 cents before midnight and 50 cents after midnight. This era shaped who she was. She neither sought fame, fortune or recognition, but did “the right thing”. She lived a life of commitment, hard work and perseverance with a beautiful smile, a quick wit and a twinkle in her eye. She was loyal and dedicated to the people and causes that were the anchors of her life.
Chris will be reunited with Jack in a private interment ceremony at Mountain View Memorial Park, Lakewood, WA on Friday, July 6th.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at St. Andrews United Methodist Church at 540 School Street SE, Lacey, WA, on Saturday, July 7th at 1:00 pm.
The family suggests memorial donations to the Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation, PO Box 7544, Olympia, WA 98507, Saint Andrews United Methodist Church, PO Box 3866, Lacey, WA 98509 or the charity of your choice.
Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home, Lakewood, WA.
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