Christien Paulus Steenkamp

87 years old, passed away peacefully at her home in Allston on Tuesday, November 27, 2007. Christien was born on December 18, 1919, in the city of Menado on the island of Celebes in Indonesia to Antonetta Rumondor and Arnoldus de Graaff. She had six siblings: Saara Magdalena, Willem, George, Henrietta, Johanna Christina, and Beatrice. She survived her husband Anton Ferdinand Steenkamp who died of a heart attack in August 2006. Christien and Anton's marriage spanned 7 decades and 3 continents. They met in Indonesia when it was a colony of the Netherlands and were married in Celebes after World War II. They relocated to the island of Java where Anton worked for the Dutch government and where they raised their three young children. After Indonesia's independence, the family moved to the Netherlands in 1955 where their youngest child was born and Anton continued his work in architecture. In May 1962, the family immigrated to the United States and the family settled in Allston. Christien was a dedicated wife, homemaker and loving mother to her four children, 5 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. She epitomized motherhood and enjoyed cooking, sewing, knitting, needlepoint, and gardening. She was generous and resourceful and her big heart matched her big smile. With minimal knowledge of English, Christien courageously took charge of day to day matters of raising a family and making a home while Anton worked for a Boston architectural firm for 30 years. She took pride and deserved it for finding their single family home in Allston where the family settled and lived since 1965. In any language, her vivid spirit, joy and sense of humor were understood. Toward the later years, Christien and Anton took delight in reminiscing about the earlier years, with often told and repeated stories. Just a month before her Anton's death, the couple held hands in the passenger seats of the car and reminisced about their days together, and Christien declared, "Ya", Tony, I had a good life. Anton remarked, "Oh, so you are glad we moved to America". Christien replied, "Sure, I am". Friends and family will miss delicious "rijstafel" and egg rolls. Christien is survived by her 90 year old sister Henrietta (Jetje); son, Jack and his wife, Lori, of Natick and their 3 children, Benjamin David, Emily Irene, and Rachel; son, Fred and his wife, Jackie of Concord; daughter, Yvonne O'Connor and her husband Denis, and their 2 children, Jonathan Christian and Mireille Louise, and great granddaughter, Emerson Shaye of Watertown; and daughter, Louise and husband, George Fluke of Greenville, California. Funeral from the Lehman & Reen Funeral Home, 63 Chestnut Hill Ave., (nr. Brighton Courthouse) BRIGHTON, Friday at 10:30 am. Funeral Service at First Church of Cambridge Congregational, 11 Garden St., Cambridge, at 12 p.m. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting Hrs Thursday (Today) 4-8 pm with a prayer service at 6pm. Late member of the Dutch-Indonesian Club and St. Luke's and St. Margaret's Ladies Auxiliary Club. Donations in memory of Mrs. Steenkamp may be made to Mt. Auburn Hospital, c/o Cardiology Dept., 330 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. A reception will follow immediately at Greenbriar Pub, Washington St., Brighton Center. Funeral Home handicapped accessible. For directions & guestbook please visit www.lehmanreen.com Lehman & Reen Funeral Home Brighton 617-782-1000