Christine Powell

Christine Maria (Gstalder) Powell passed unexpectedly on August 16, 2025. She was 40 years old.

We, Christine's adoring family, cannot nearly convey our sense of love, loss, and longing for what should have been, but we can tell you this, as those who knew her know: Christine was a sweet, loving, caring soul; a witty, humorous charmer; and a brilliant and beautiful young woman who lit up every room she entered.

Christine was extremely compassionate and a fierce advocate for the less privileged and less entitled, the underdogs. She especially valued education and children, and devoted much of her life to them. After graduating from Monarch High School, she attended the University of Colorado and later Metropolitan State University, earning a Master's degree in education. While in school, Christine nannied for families and volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for at-risk children. Upon graduation, she became a preschool teacher at Betty Adams Elementary (her son Cooper's school) in Westminster, where she found great joy and fulfillment in helping to start young children on their learning paths.

In her free time, Christine enjoyed crafting, making family photo books, puzzling, and corralling the family's new dog Marlo. She was a voracious reader and, in addition to many other authors and genres, she determined to and completed reading everything Stephen King wrote. Chris also loved to travel, visiting Germany, France, England, Greece, and Israel, had recently been to both LA and NY with family, and held a particular fondness for Mexico, where she spent a semester in school in Guadalajara. Puerto Vallarta was her happy place for family trips.

Above all else, Christine loved her husband, Aaron, and her beloved son, Cooper. Christine and Cooper were inseparable and will miss each other terribly. In addition to Aaron and Cooper, Christine is survived by her parents John and Sussan Gstalder, her brother Daniel Gstalder, her sister Jacquelyn Gstalder, and a large and loving extended family. She is also loved and will be missed by the Powell family - Kristine and Charlie Thrush, Ken and Renee Powell, Mike and Sabrina Powell, Kristy and Andrew McSwain, and their families.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 11th at 1:00 pm at the East Boulder Community Center located at 5660 Sioux Drive in Boulder. Please make any contributions to CASA or PBS.