Christine Angell Obituary

Christine (Christie) Erna Angell passed away peacefully on February 8 th, 2025, from Alzheimer's. Despite the awful nature of this illness, her family holds countless wonderful memories of the full life she lived and will forever be remembered as a kind and loving mother, wife, teacher, and friend. Christie was born the day after Christmas, in 1952, to Heinz and Agnes Dammers. Along with her older brother, Wolfgang, Christie grew up in the care of her mother and her proud German family. Early in life she developed a love for horses. During her youth, she became a champion competitor in dressage and show jumping. Her cousin, Heike, fondly remembers when they were 17 and how they dreamed of travelling to California. Neither had much money, but Christie was tenacious. She asked around and eventually found and accepted a job to transport two horses from Olympia, Washington to San Diego. The trip took much longer than expected as the horses needed to be fed and walked frequently, but Christie's special sense of humor let the girls fully enjoy their adventure. Christie met her first husband, Brian Budsberg, in Olympia and they were wed in 1980. The couple had two sons, Erik and Nicholas, who made sure her life was anything but boring. While she was the rock of the family and an ever-present figure of grace and joy, she never quite inherited her mother's skill for baking. She did, however, master the more difficult art of raising two boys. Christie managed the wild whims and broken bones of her children with patience, dignity, and the occasional glass of wine. She taught them to be caring and compassionate humans, to appreciate nature and the world around them, and to maintain a sense of excitement for life. By example, Christie also taught her children to always be prepared. During one summer road trip to the Rockies, she had the foresight to pack winter gear for the whole family including snow boots, pants, and gloves. While this made little sense to everyone at the time, all was appreciated when an unforecasted blizzard dumped two feet of snow in 24 hours. Her boys were the only ones at the campground who got to play in the August snow. As her children grew older (and broke more bones), Christie went back to school to become a librarian. She worked for nearly two decades in the Olympia School District with most of her professional career being spent at Reeves Middle School. While juggling two full time jobs (being a teacher and a full-time mother) she still found time to host exchange students from Japan, Slovakia, and Mexico. She maintained these relationships for years. Christie was also an avid reader and had a keen eye for young adult novels. Her youngest son remembers when she would come home with a selection of new books from her library for him to choose from. One such day she came home with a single book and said, "here Nick, I think you'll like this one. I don't know the author too well but I'm sure it will be a favorite of my students". The book was the first in the Harry Potter series. As her children entered college, Christie and her first husband separated. She continued working and pursuing many hobbies that brought her joy including becoming a small business owner. In 2007, Christie met the man that she would call her soulmate. She married Curtis (Curt) Angell in 2009. The two connected deeply and enjoyed every moment they spent together including traveling domestically and abroad, cruising with family members, and welcoming the birth of grandchildren. Tragically, Christie was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease when she was only 57. True to her character, Christie navigated this terrifying diagnosis with positivity and bravery until the end of her life. Christie is survived by her husband, Curt Angell, her sons, Erik and Nicholas Budsberg, and her four grandchildren, Coen, Skye, Ulysses, and Sebastian. She is greatly missed by her family and friends and will be forever cherished in our memories. A celebration of Christie's life will be at the River's Edge restaurant at the Tumwater golf course on March 22, 2025, at 1:00 PM In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Christine, please visit our Tree Store.