Christine Austin

Tell me, what is it you mean to do with your one wild and precious life?
Mary Oliver

Christine Austin, a publisher, world traveler, and fierce advocate for her family passed away peacefully on September 13, 2025, in Langley, British Columbia. She refused to live by conventional rules- instead, crafting a life rich in curiosity, beauty, and boldness.

Born on October 23, 1945, in Mandan, North Dakota to Don and Rebecca Smith. The second of five children, Chris arrived after her physician father was posted to postwar Japan as part of the U.S. Army of Occupation. Raised as Gail Christine Smith in the farming town of Blue Earth, Minnesota, her life was forever altered when she joined high school exchange students bound for Europe where she spent the summer with a German family. This sparked a lifelong love of travel, culture, and reinvention. During her childhood she pursued what would be a lifetime love of music, becoming accomplished in both flute and piano.

Chris earned her a degree in anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's degree in family counseling at the University of Pennsylvania. She and her first husband, Steve Austin, had two children, Paul and Stephanie. Chris moved to Amherst, Massachusetts where, following her divorce, she met and married Geoff Robinson. Chris and Geoff hosted many gatherings of friends and family that were known for fun and celebration at their home in Leverett, Massachusetts, and at the summer property in Little Compton, Rhode Island. Parties often featured vocalists and musicians who were her friends. She often took her mother and father, daughter, nieces, and grandchildren on world travels. Following the sale of New Mass Media and her divorce, she moved to Tucson, Az to be close to family. Later, she settled in Springfield, New Hampshire near her son Paul and his children. There she built two beautiful lakefront homes. In San German, Puerto Rico, she beautifully restored a historic colonial home where she moved full time in 2019. There, surrounded by a bilingual, intergenerational community of friends she embraced warm beaches, dinner with friends and island life. "Life is like a pantry," she liked to say. "You look at the ingredients you've got and make a sumptuous feast."

Chris spent her professional career as the Group Publisher and CEO of New Mass Media, Inc. The company grew from the founding paper, The Valley Advocate, to multiple publications with 1.5 million readers per week across New England. The Advocate's independent voice and social consciousness left a lasting legacy in the area. Chris believed we all rise together, spearheading many community initiatives. During her time at New Mass Media, she founded First Night Hartford, "Piece of the Pie" food bank fundraiser and the first New England Artist Showcase. She served as Chair of the Friends of the United Nations, founded with Knut Hammarskjold. Sharing her birthday with the founding of the UN, the "We the Peoples: 50 Communities" initiative to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UN was dear to her heart. She was instrumental as an early Board Member and advisor in the founding days of the global nonprofit World Pulse, a social impact network that now connects women change-makers and allies from over 200+ countries. While living in Tucson she founded To Our Health.

Chris' generosity and passion for helping others extended broadly to her family and a wide circle of friends. Chris saw the potential in everyone, recognized the value of unique interests, and encouraged people to follow their passions. She was always there with support – emotional, physical, or financial. Small acts of thoughtful kindness were her daily bread. Chris was a champion of education, ensuring all the children in her extended family could access higher education. "She gave me things I didn't even know I needed" said one. Chris knew that small acts of generosity, a small loan or place to stay, could have a profound effect. But it was her impact on her extended family that may be her most enduring legacy. She embodied unconditional love, especially for children. "She never gave up on me," said one niece. "She believed in us - which is what every child needs. She taught us how to dream big."

Chris was not just a traveler of the world, but of ideas. "She was a culture vulture," recalled one family member. She loved books, poetry, music, and dancing. She was impulsive, eclectic, and endlessly adventurous -traveling, hosting flower-filled dinners, and bringing joy wherever she went. "She was oriented towards beauty," said a family member. "The mood changed when we were with her. Chris approached even the smallest acts - like pulling a salad out of nowhere- with artistry and generosity. "She added many layers to make a sumptuous feast." Her table often included candles and fresh flowers, her conversation full of curiosity, humor, and encouragement. "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful," she liked to say.

In the end, Chris lived what she preached: "What's the next big thing in your life?" she would ask- not out of impatience, but in eager anticipation. There were always more ideas to pursue, more places to go, more people to love.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Don and Rebecca Smith, her brother, Dean, her nephew Aaron and is survived by her brother, Stephen, her sisters Deborah and Linda, her son, Paul, her daughter, Stephanie and her husband Jonathan, grandchildren, Zoey, Anna, Luke, Sage, and Bella, nephews Nathan, Ben, Andrew, Eric and Seth, nieces, Christina, Alicia and Caitlin, and numerous other extended family members- including her "Lunatic Norwegian Cousins" and dear friends across the globe.

A celebration of her life will be held in Tucson at a date to be determined.