Christine Widell Morin

1947 - 2018

Christine Widell Morin

December 22, 1947 – December 10, 2018

Fredericksburg, VA

Our sweet Mother, Christine Widell Morin, left us far too soon on December 10th, 2018, in Jacksonville, Florida - just shy of her 71st birthday. She was born on December 22nd, 1947 in West Palm Beach, Florida to Inez Elizabeth Portaluppi Widell and Harold Fridolph Widell. She graduated from Florida State University with a degree in education, and went on to teach special needs children for several years.

Mom discovered her passion for travel during her glamorous years as the quintessential Pan Am / National stewardess. The ultimate, self-sufficient, "jet set" woman, she traveled the world accompanied only by her innate curiosity and her zest for life and culture. While at home, she and her beloved chestnut gelding "Big Bird" took to the ring, earning her many titles and championships as the top female cutting horse rider in the state of Florida. At a time when women were often expected to settle down, marry, and have children, our mom was the ultimate independent woman, helping to pave the way for many like her.

It was Mom's refusal to settle and her professional drive which led her to our father, Robert Hunter Morin, 30,000 feet in the air while working a routine flight from Washington to Tampa. Noticing her black coral necklace, they bonded over their love of scuba diving, before our father's parting promise to send her some coral he had collected during a recent dive. As our mom would tell the story, she left this encounter thinking little of the promise - expecting that life would take over, and that they would likely never speak again. She was pleasantly surprised to find a package waiting for her when she returned home, as she had not yet learned something we all know to be true of our father, that he follows through on the important things. And she was important.

Mom later moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia, the place she called home, where she established herself as the matriarch of our family, a Master Gardener, an animal advocate, a beekeeper, a loyal friend, a philanthropist, and an active member of the community. Our beloved "Cous" was a loving wife, incredible mother and stepmother, doting grandmother, and "zookeeper" to her four-legged loves. She was everything to all of us. She was, and continues to be, the love of our father's life. Above all else, she devoted herself to being our mother - as a strong example of the women she wanted us to become.

Anyone who knew our mom knows that her love for animals was an essential part of who she was, and that animal rescue was near and dear to her heart. Mom was a staunch supporter of, volunteer with, and adopter from the Stafford SPCA, and she was dearly loved and admired by her SPCA family. In lieu of flowers or gifts, we ask that donations be made to the Stafford SPCA in her honor and memory. The Stafford SPCA has created a "Celebration of Life" fund, and all donations received in her name will be used to create a lasting tribute to the life, heart, memory, and spirit of our truly exceptional mother. Checks may be mailed to "The Stafford SPCA" at 140 Andrew Chapel Rd, Stafford, VA 22554. Online donations may be made at staffordspca.org/morindonation/ by clicking the PayPal "Donate Now" button.

She was preceded in death by her father, Harold, her mother, Inez, and her sweet grandson, Luke Wyatt Morin. She is survived by her husband, Robert Hunter Morin, her sisters Gerry Anne Mahler and Susan Elizabeth Widell, her daughters Christina Elizabeth Morin Koether and Maria Carter Morin Zaluski, her step-son Hunter Campbell Morin, her step-daughters Page Morin Rossetter and Cary Morin Hubbard, and her seven grandchildren: Hunter Ryland Rossetter, Phebe Cathryn Morin, Morin Hildreth Hubbard, George Torrey Rossetter Jr, Otto Redd Koether, Hoyer Fenn Koether, and Ebba Inez Koether.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date, and will likely take place in Mom's garden this spring, when everything is at its most beautiful. Her wish for us all was to be happy, healthy, and kind, and to pursue life with passion and curiosity for all things. We will miss her terribly every moment, but we will honor her in all that we do.