Christine MacGillis

Christine MacGillis passed away at home in West Hartford on Sunday, June 23, 2024. She was born in Manistique, Michigan, the first born of six children, to Hugh Roderick MacGillis and Dorothea (Imrie) MacGillis. With a couple of stops in Chicago and Wisconsin, the clan moved east to West Hartford, CT. Christine graduated from Hall High School and then Pembroke College, now known as Brown University. She studied English and Art History-her two loves. Right after college, Christine traveled to Europe with a friend. She spoke of cycling in the beautiful countryside of Belgium. In a letter to a friend, she wrote that London had been her favorite city with its friendly people and "intoxicating" museums. The major part of her career was at snazzy Connecticut General in Bloomfield, now Cigna. One fellow employee congratulating her joked that her advancements seemed almost a monthly event with her becoming a senior administrator and officer at the company. Christine loved "cozy" mysteries, devouring them after scouting out book sales and the local libraries. She even took a class on mystery writing and wrote several manuscripts. We believe we found them; one mystery solved.
Christine often spent weekends touring the tag sales, finding fun and sometimes lovely items she called "goof gifts," unique to that person. The "goofs" were meticulously wrapped along with the birthday present for family members.
Our brother Hugh was the "driving force" of our famous weekly Sunday dinners at the Sedgwick Road family home. But Christine was the "Salad Maker". The family dinners grew with new family members and guests from all over the world. Dinner always included a "wine tasting". Christine carefully selected her entry, "What's for dinner?" At the end there would be a discussion. And the winning wine is...! A good time was had by all.
Christine leaves her two sisters, Ann MacGillis and Jane Kimball; her sisters-in-law, Susan Ritz, Bobbi MacGillis, Ingrid MacGillis, and Luz Falcon; and one brother-in-law, Lewis Kimball.
Christine enjoyed catching up with her nieces and nephews and hearing about her grandnieces and grandnephews. Christine was predeceased by her parents and her brothers, Hugh, Donald, and Thomas.
Donations in Christine's memory may be sent to Save the Children, 501 Kings Highway East, Suite 400, Fairfield, CT 06825, as she often contributed to this cause. A party celebrating Christine's life will be held at a later date. Please pass the wine. Online condolences may be made at www.SheehanHilbornBreen.com