Beloved mother, sister, and friend to all, Jean Christie, passed away unexpectedly on February 15, 2018 at the age of 80. At the time, she was on a routine walk in her neighborhood — one of her favorite activities — just steps from her home.

Jean was born to Joseph and Stasia (née Stawasz) Wersetsky on July 13, 1937 in Holyoke, Massachusetts. She was the eldest of four children, having two younger sisters, Joan and Sandra, and a brother, Joseph Junior. Her family lived in western Massachusetts during her childhood, eventually settling in Chicopee, Mass. Throughout high school, she was an excellent student and a virtuoso at accordion in the school band. In 1955, she graduated as valedictorian from East Hartford high school. She then attended Willimantec State Teachers College where she obtained her bachelor’s degree and teaching credential in 1959.

She married James Robert Pease on July 4, 1964 in Springfield, Mass., after which they moved to Brattleboro, Vermont. In 1965 they purchased a farm in Chesterfield, New Hampshire where her only child, a daughter, Laura Christie (née Pease) was born. They developed part of the farm as a campground, called Sugar Bush Hill, and enjoyed hosting visitors from throughout the country.

She moved to Corvallis, Oregon in 1973, where she attended Oregon State University, obtaining a master’s degree in Horticulture. In 1977 she moved to Portland, where she became a certified real estate appraiser. She was an active member of the Bergfreunde (“mountain friends”) ski club, aerobics classes, the Portland Art Museum, and other local groups and became a certified Master Gardener by the OSU extension service.

After retiring, she was able to indulge such passions as Chinese watercolors, cooking, gardening, hiking, reading, caring for her cats, and traveling, especially with her daughter and son-in-law. Memorable trips included an Alaskan cruise in 1998; Portugal, Spain, and Morocco in 2005; England and France in 2006; Barcelona, Catalunya in 2015; a Mediterranean cruise from Venice to Barcelona in 2016; and most recently, Iceland in 2017. She and her daughter frequently travelled domestically as well, to destinations including Vermont, Santa Fe, and Hawaii.

She walked daily, aiming for at least 10,000 steps, and could often be spotted strolling through her neighborhood wearing one of her signature baseball caps. She loved to cook and entertain, mastering many new cuisines and flavors. She cared for all the local wildlife at all times of the year, ensuring the hummingbirds always had nectar and boasting the fattest squirrels in the neighborhood.Jean is survived by her daughter Dr. Laura Christie, and Laura’s partner Stephen Fortner (both of Oakland, California) and her sister Sandra Koziara of Greensboro, North Carolina. She will be missed by many, including her nephews and nieces, her sisters-in-law, and many friends throughout the country. A private service was held in the Portland Rose Garden on June 16, 2018, while the flowers she so loved were in bloom.