Christie Anne (Lagergren) Brown

Christie Anne Lagergren Brown

(August 16, 1948 - March 21, 2018)

Christie Lagergren Brown died at home holding the hand of her beloved Anam Cara and wife, Joanne, March 21, 2018 after a year long battle with a rare brain tumor. She was born and grew up in Bremerton graduating from West Bremerton High School in 1966 (Go Wildcats!). She was a Washington girl through and through living in Tri-Cities for 8 years, Ellensburg for 26 years, Lacey for a year, Spokane for 3 years, and ending up in Seattle.

She was an amazing woman who survived much in her life always coming out stronger for it. She was a Renaissance woman of many talents. She had a degree in accounting and a Masters in Organizational Development from Central Washington University and a Masters of Divinity from the School of Theology at Seattle University. She worked at an ad agency and Battelle Laboratories in the Tri-Cities, co-owned a shoe store, was the manager of Elmview Home for Disabled Adults, the business manager at the Kittitas County Health Department, a CPA who worked for accounting firms and in the business office of Central Washington Univer-sity. where she was also an adjunct faculty member teaching accounting. She took a year off and volunteered at Holden Village. After a few years of discernment she decided to make a change in her life and enrolled in seminary. After graduating she served Seaview UMC in West Seattle, St. Luke’s UMC in Bremerton, St. Paul’s and Trinity UMC in Spokane, Sunrise UMC in Federal Way, and Woodland Park UMC in Seattle.

She was very proud of being Swedish and a highlight in her life was traveling with her mother to Sweden in 2002 to visit relatives and see the island her people came from.

She met her future wife at Seattle U and after a long friendship they married on December 7, 2013. Joanne was the love of her life, her Anam Cara - soul mate, and they had many adventures together traveling especially to Jamaica, a month long tour of Massachusetts so Joanne could show off her college and the state in which she spent so much time, and weeks at the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, OR where they could sit on the porch of the Agatha Christie room and just stare at the water and read and exploring unique places to go on their anniversary. Theirs is a love that will never die.

She doted on her son Rob and her granddaughters, Annika and Keiley. She proudly dis-played the things they made for her and always looked to chances to be with them: holidays, going to their concerts, soccer matches, basketball games, and dance recitals - anything in which they were involved. She was proud of her son and the man and father he became and loved her daughter-in-law Jill. Some of her happiest moments were when the family was together. Rob and Annika and Kelley and Jill always knew they were loved unconditionally by Christie and loved her back completely.

What people always remarked about her was her smile and her beautiful blue eyes. Even in the hospital those were the things people noted. And no matter what she was going through she would somehow manage a smile that would charm the room. And her laugh was infectious.

And oh how she loved the water - she loved being by it, looking at it and swimming in it. It was her place of renewal and calm in a sometimes crazy world.

Her other love was music and theater. She was in many stage productions in Ellensburg. with her beautiful soprano voice. Those productions filled her with such joy. Having season tick-ets to the opera for many years with her friend Yvonne was a treat. And who in the class of ’66 will forget their 50th high school reunion with Willie and the Willettes and Christie channeling Mama Cass on stage.

She was committed to social justice for all and worked tirelessly on many justice issues, especially LGBTQ+. Her last public event before her illness was marching in The Women’s March of 2017 in Seattle proudly wearing her Pussy Hat. She spoke her mind and didn’t back down when she thought her position was right. She was a caring pastor to the folks in her church and a committed friend.

Christie was sweet, funny, kind, thoughtful of others, loving - these are some of the qualities people remember about her.

She is survived by her Beloved Joanne Carlson Brown, her son Rob (Jill) Hatfield, granddaughters Annika and Keiley, mother Jean Kachel, brothers Gary (Karen) Newbill and Robert (Becky) Newbill, step-sister Ellen (Carl) Bewley, and her loved nieces and nephews and their families. Gifts in her memory can be given to The Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Ad-vanced Brain Tumor Treatment at Swedish Hospital or Providence Hospice of Seattle. A Remembrance and Celebration of her life will be April 8 at 3pm at Tibbetts United Methodist Church, 3940 41st Ave SW, Seattle 98116.

Please share memories of Christie on the online guestbook at www.emmickfunerals.com

Emmick Family Funeral & Cremation Services - West Seattle

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