Christine Cantey

Christine was born to Winbourne and Richard Ranney on May 7, 1940, in Paracale, Philippines. She left the Philippines with her parents in April 1941, just seven months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, because her father, a mining engineer, believed the war was coming. She, along with her four siblings, Kathleen, Susan, Richard and Linda, spent her childhood in mining towns in the western United States and Mexico including: Bisbee, Ariz., Republic, Wash., Pachuca, Mexico and Grand Junction, Colo. Her first job was as a high school teacher in Tacoma, Wash., where she met her husband, James Lee Cantey —“Jim.” Four months after unwittingly accepting a second date with Jim (due to mistaken identity), they were married on June 12, 1963. Shortly after their marriage, Jim left for Japan with the U.S. Air Force, with Christine following a couple of months behind. Christine and Jim spent the next 11 years traveling with the Air Force, during which time they had two children, Lee and Ana. The family eventually left military life and settled in Corvallis in 1974. Christine initially taught preschool, but began her storied career teaching at Western View Middle School in 1979, while her daughter was attending eighth grade there. That year, an entire classroom of students called her “Mom.” She retired in 1997 when her first grandchild was born. Although teaching was a true passion, retirement gave her more time to focus on the other things in her life that brought her joy. She spent hours tending her many gardens. She spearheaded a gourmet cooking club, planning and preparing fantastic meals from all corners of the globe. She and Jim stayed in touch with friends through weekly get-togethers, dinner parties and mornings at Timberhill Athletic Club. And she traveled the world with Jim, from the savannah of South Africa to the glaciers of Iceland. Trips were months in the planning, which she enjoyed almost as much as the trip itself. And wherever she went, she connected with people — because she seldom met someone she didn’t want to know a little better. But the focus of Christine’s abundant creativity and energy was her family. In addition to her life with Jim, she had the great joy of having her mother, Winbourne, whom she counted as one of her closest friends, live with her. They spent many an hour discussing the news of the day, watching birds outside the front window and writing a book of Winbourne’s life. Christine delighted in making frequent trips to California to visit her children and grandchildren. She always planned grand adventures with the grandchildren during her stay — from “Survivor”-themed campouts to expeditions into San Francisco to cooking extravaganzas. There never was a dull moment when “Nana” came to visit. Christine is survived by Jim, her husband of 50 years; her mother; her brother; three sisters; her two children and their spouses, Joell (Lee) and Allen (Ana); and her five grandchildren Gavin, Galina, Aidan, Sabela and Feyisa. They will miss her sense of adventure, her boundless enthusiasm, her unwavering devotion, her steadfast friendship and her unconditional love. A celebration of Christine’s life will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at the First Congregational Church in Corvallis. Memorial donations, “Trees for Christine,” may be made to C-GSCA TREES and sent to Corvallis-Gondar (Ethiopia) Sister Cities Association, PO Box 424, Corvallis, OR 97339-0424. Ethiopia was especially close to Christine’s heart as the birthplace of her youngest grandchild.

Tributes

Christine Cantey

May 7, 1940 - February 10, 2014