Christine D. Wilson

Christine (Chris) Dale Wilson (Sargent), passed away peacefully at her home in Chelmsford, Mass. She was 87 years old, and by her own reconning, "had a wonderful life".
She and her identical twin sister Anne Parker McKinstry (Sargent), were born in Peabody Massachusetts, on December 13, 1937, to Theodore and Bessie (Blackburn) Sargent. Unfortunately, Bessie never returned home after giving birth to her daughters. Bessie's mother stepped in to help raise the children until Theodore married Helen (Rice) Sargent. Chris was predeceased by her parents and her brothers, Robert and Theodore, and her beloved husband, Alfred (Al) Wilson, whom she called Alzie.
Chris shared many memories and stories from her childhood. One of her fond memories was rigging a string between her bedroom window and her friend Florine's bedroom window so they could pull on the string to get each other's attention when they wanted to go outside and play. A story that always generated great peals of laughter was about how she and Anne found a water bubbler. They were so excited! As Chris would say, "All we had to do was hook it up to water." That story became a metaphor that was returned to many times in teachable moments for her children. Chris learned about poison ivy when she and Anne decided to convert an abandoned field into a baseball diamond. They were pulling up roots all day, unaware of the agony that would befall them three days later!
Chris's early adulthood was marked by some important events. She went to the University of Massachusetts where she earned her bachelor's degree, becoming a Registered Nurse. She met Al at UMass; in her words, he was an impressive "BMOC" (Big Man On Campus) business major. They married shortly before her graduation and moved to a small home in Billerica. Chris and Al welcomed their first child, Andy, in 1960. A year later, Chris gave birth to a baby girl, who unfortunately died at only three days old. After an appropriate time, Chris became pregnant again. They moved into the house they would call home for the next forty-nine years, in West Chelmsford, in the summer of 1963. Cheryl was born one month later.
Chris kept herself busy raising her children with endless love and compassion. In addition to her children, she participated in all sorts of activities; she was on the neighborhood bowling league from which she brought home many trophies, and she was a member of the garden club, as her gardens were her joy! She and Al were also members of the Elks and danced away many nights, after which they would bring all of their friends back to the house for a 2am breakfast and talk and laugh into the wee hours of the morning. She was a Cub Scout Leader for Andy's troop and a 4-H club leader for Cheryl's group. She worked alongside Al as a real estate agent for a short time. When Al started his own real estate company, she worked endless hours behind the scenes keeping the business going. Eventually she used her nursing degree and for many years was the charge nurse at a local nursing home.
Even after she stopped working professionally, she continued to volunteer for many years. She delivered meals on wheels, she made floral arrangements at a local flower shop, she organized the periodicals both at the Chelmsford Public Library and the Westford Public Library, and she worked in the gift shop at the Chelmsford Senior Center. In her later years, Chris volunteered at her retirement community where she kept the library organized and was in charge of taking pictures of all of the veterans.
Chris was a poet and a photographer. She was an active member of the Lowell Camera Club for many years. She loved the competitions and won many well-earned prizes. And in 1999 she combined her photography and her prose into a beautiful hard cover book called Gentle Strengths, which was a labor of love for Chris. Although she had always documented events with a photo and never stopped, as she grew more confident behind the lens, she bought an SLR camera and began to approach photography as a means to express herself creatively. In her older years, she was rarely seen without her camera, and she documented everything with a photo.
Early on, before she became interested in photography as an art, she made detailed and thoughtful scrapbooks. There were always three; one of the family and one dedicated to each of her children. About ten years ago, she gifted both of her children with their scrapbooks. She created a scrapbook for each of her grandchildren as well. These gifts of her love are but physical representations of the emotional imprint she left on the hearts of her family. Her caring, gentle nature and deep love for her family are what they will miss most about her.
Chris and Al loved to travel. In the early years they drove with the kids across the country on a summer-long camping trip. Disneyland, The Grand Canyon, and driving through a giant sequoia are highlights. When the kids were young adults, the four of them toured Europe by car. The two of them continued to travel, right up until Al's death in 2008. They had many yearly trips to Aruba, took cruises all over the world, and became snowbirds on Siesta Key.
Chris leaves behind her dear sister Anne McKinstry and her husband Reverend John McKinstry; two children who think the world of her, Andrew Wilson and Cheryl Wilson; four grandchildren who were lucky to have her play a prominent role in their childhoods, Todd, Brian, Ashanti, and Kiema; two daughters-in-law who adored her, Mary and Jeanette; and many nieces and nephews who spent lots of time with her at family reunions and get-togethers, Laurel, Janet, Jody, Craig, Doug, Meryl, David, Debbie, Doug, Laura, Carl, Cynthia and Kevin. There are untold numbers of great nieces and nephews, some of whom she has never met!
Visiting hours will be held on WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025, from 4 pm – 7 pm at the Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home, 24 Worthen St., Chelmsford. Her Funeral Services will be held on SATURDAY, May 24, 2025, at 11 am at First Parish Chelmsford, 2 Westford Street, Chelmsford. A private internment service will be held before the funeral.
Please stay for memory sharing and refreshments after the service, in the vestry.