S Christine M. Symonds

PRINCETON - Christine Mary Symonds passed away peacefully on September 7th with her loving family and close friends posting a dedicated vigil in her final days. She demonstrated incredible strength, courage, and dignity in the face of many challenges in recent years.

Christine loved her kids, Mathew (20) and Hannah (21) above all else. She was a wonderful Mom who would do anything to keep them happy and healthy, providing for and feeding their interests, driving them anywhere at any time of day or night and talking with them for hours on end about things they enjoyed. She was always proud when she finished her Christmas shopping early but couldn't resist giving the kids their presents in advance requiring Santa to franticly pull off the magic each year so there were presents under the tree for Christmas morning.

She is survived by her husband of 22 years, Ken, two sisters, her twin Jacqui Spinetta of Nevada and Natalie Barclay of Kansas - and two sisters by spiritual bond, Jo Ann Gage of Leominster, and Sue Deliddo of Princeton.

In her younger days, Christine loved to dress to kill. As a model for Talbots, she acquired a closetful of high-end clothes, shoes, and pocketbooks. She had a tight-fitting blue dress she wore on our 2nd date to the Museum of Fine Arts where she was easily the most beautiful piece of art on display, strutting a figure like Marilyn Monroe and proud of it!

Christine loved gardening and had dirt beneath her nails to the very end. She shattered the hopes of many a suitor who pulled into her driveway to sweet talk the attractive gardener until she was finally lured from the busy country road to the private backwoods of Princeton to raise a family and expand her gardens.

Her husband was no longer surprised to come home to find truckloads of rich dark soil dumped in the middle of his lawn nor that she had again instructed the driver to back right over the leach field. She declared April through August as 'her time' each year as if it were a God-given right to spend entire days in her gardens which were meticulously planned and designed over seasons so that there was always a stunning array of color.

Christine took great pride in her nursing career in oncology where she met many great friends and loved caring for her patients whom she grew close with. The nursing community is tight knit and time and again she would be amongst old friends for treatments. At home she was on top of every ache and pain and treatment, even saving Hannah's life by quickly identifying sepsis when she was only weeks old.

She tolerated winter only by the ambiance and warmth of the wood stove she kept crackling as the snow drifted down in the lights outside the chimney. She loved to cook amazing meals for her family, though 'clean as you go' never seemed to be listed in her favorite recipes.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Christine's family from 12:30 to 2 pm on Saturday, September 16, at Miles-Sterling Funeral and Tribute Center, 100 Worcester Rd., Sterling, followed by a memorial service celebrating her life at 2 pm. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit the "Tribute Wall" on this page.