July 7, 1947 - May 9, 2019
Christine Tate was born and raised in Pt Loma, San Diego where she first developed an interest in nature, colour, light and space. She continued to develop those life long passions though university arts program where she discovered enamel as an art form. Through the creation of beautiful spaces in Wilson, WY; Honokaa, HI; Saltspring Island and Victoria, B.C.; and Borrego Springs, CA, she expressed her artistic vision.
A master gardener and "plant lady"; she was passionate about creating incredible gardens and orchestrated years of community garden tours. As an accomplished outdoors woman; she hiked solo and with friends throughout the west and spent many years kayaking the wild coasts of B.C. She was avid about protecting wilderness and was a committed letter writer and contributor to many environmental organizations.
A loving and loyal friend, she cultivated beloved relationships and had many friendships lasting over 45 years. Many of her close connections were made through her appreciation of the process of creativity and design. She was known for going out of her way to show kindness and thoughtfulness to others by seeking out a special plant or sending a heartfelt card. She was an incredible mother, immensely dedicated and nurturing to her son and daughter, always going out of her way to provide. Her two cherished granddaughters had the very best of times with their "TuTu"; spending hours giggling and cuddling in bed with books, after a day spent at the beach.
She worked incredibly hard on her real estate projects; she cared deeply about providing the best living environment she could for her tenants. She truly cared about their wellbeing, many of her tenants also becoming her friends. If she could, she preferred to do renovation work on her own, often she could be found up a ladder sanding and painting. She became a skilled trades woman over the years.
She was vibrant, tenacious, independent, and strong. There was so much more to learn from her and more that she had to do in her life; she is so incredibly missed. She passed away in her beautiful home in the desert that she loved so dearly.