Christiana Irene Noehren Fernandez
December 26, 1939 - February 17, 2024
Born to Walter Noehren and Virginia Louise Irvin (Noehren/Hagopian) in Hartford Conn, Christie’s parents were very young (by today’s standards), her mother had been a student at Bennington College, just shy of graduation by a single class when she was swept away by Walter Noehren, a near by student of medicine. Within a year Christie was born and a year and one month later she had a brother Jamie (Jamison).
Walt and Virginia in the early years
Christie seated, Jamie standing
This is a beautiful photo of Christie, Jamie, Mom and Walt on a hillside.
How elegant was our mother, and a bit skeptical the children.
Walt
The Noehren Clan with Christie and Jamie
Here is a drawing of the deck with Christie and Jamie. Our mother was never without her drawing pad
Christie was the granddaughter of Rea Irvin and Dorothy Goodwin Irvin. Rea Irvin was the creator of the iconic “Eustice Tilley”, the top-hatted gentleman who graces the New Yorker magazine’s cover most Februarys. Rea was the “art director” for the New Yorker from its inception to well into the late 1940’s/ early 1950's.
During the summers Jamie and Christie would spend summers in Newtown, Connecticut with their grandparents Rea and Dorothy. The Newtown house was a beautiful old house with a swimming pond, ponies, and plenty of land to roam around on.
Christie's mother Virginia went to work for the San Francisco Examiner as an on-the-spot illustrator, signing her work "Gini". You can still see Virginia’s art on the walls of the Buena Vista Bar and Grill on Hyde street just several doors down from the flat they lived in. They lived there until their father, Walt, came down and whisked them away when they were staying with a neighbor family for the night. This was confusing and hard for both children and a horrible trauma for our mother.
Finished drawing for publication
Creative Christie drawn by her mom
Christie’s father remarried three times and had six other children (some came with the marriages), Becky, Shelly, Lynea, Darin (who passed at an early age), Carrie and Paula. Paula, Christie and Jamie, being the oldest were counted on to help in all ways with the household. After Walt’s wife passed away in her early 30’s from cancer, Christie may have had the role of “den mother” as the one of the oldest of a large brood of kids. I know that both she and Jamie were counted on to take care of the family.
Christie and Jamie visiting their mother and new born baby sister Molly
Jim took a job working for the IRS in Washington state. Below are photos of Christie's beloved home in Kenwood, Washington {circa early 1970's}. She and Jim purchased this house before it was completed and found deep satisfaction there.
Christie married Jim Fernandez in the early1960’s, they were married until his death in 1990.
Christie seemed happy in her marriage to Jim, although for many in her family we felt as though we had lost our sister. It was many years before we once again were a loving family (I think this was somewhat true for both sides of her family, the Noehren clan and my mother and I). After Jim died it seemed that she was open to being with family again. Christie came back to us in a very loving way, embracing us all. Her kindness to our mother and willingness to help, come to visit and just be there for her mother was very wonderful to see for all of us. She made it possible for Larry and I to go on a long planned trip to Europe by volunteering to come and stay with our mother for which I will always be grateful to her. Another beautiful trait she had was her ability to just send love to her nieces and nephews, no matter where they were in life, something I wish all people could give their family members.
Christie was a wonderful artist. She seemed to stop her pursuit of drawing after meeting Jim but dived into making her paper flowers, charming and fun cards with all sorts of animals--real and made up--and carrot peel caricatures, all very playful and colorful. I remember as a teenager I was blown away by her creativity.
Marie and Christie clowning around
Christie with her mom
Christie has several grand nieces and nephews. Molly’s children, Ryland and Haley Morgan. (Ryland’s son, Christie’s grandnephew, Kaden), Lynea and her husband Jim have one daughter, Anna, Carrie has a daughter Hunter and Paula and husband Tony have a son Johnnie.
Christie and I had so many conversations on ways to join a local community, which she quietly always said she did not need and was fine on her own. I must admit I was worried for her and felt the distance. I was so very glad when she did decide to purchase a computer as this seemed to open up a new door in her life.
We are very happy knowing that Christie had such a wonderful time with Dennis, her partner of twelve years. Christie was a very shy person and for her to take Dennis’s hand when he reached out to her was very brave. Dennis was able to give Christie just what she needed. His love of adventure and driving, his friends from everywhere, were all things that created a space for Christie to thrive. She absolutely loved being with Dennis. I think his adoration of her and acceptance of just who she was, was very healing for her.
Another sweet picture of Christie and Dennis
When Christie started feeling her pain she did all the right things, went to all the doctors and sought all the advice she could get. Dennis was her champion. Christie fell through the medical cracks. Even with Dennis railing and trying to find help, the misdiagnosis and lack of paying attention to Christie’s decline was truly devastating. The fact that she was in such pain for so long is unconsciousable. I, and Christie’s whole family, are astounded at the medical mishap and the amount of misinformation. Christie died of Pancreatic cancer. It breaks one’s heart and makes one burn with rage. One hopes that -they- the medical professionals, will learn……….
Jamie's wife Marie, a member of our family for 52 years
I truly am grateful that our sister-in-law Marie was able to be with Christie and Dennis as she drifted away. Marie is remarkable in her ability and strength to care for those who truly need it. She is an amazing woman.
Shelly, Carrie, Becky, Lynea, Molly, Paula and Christie at our brothers memorial
I was grateful for the time we spent in Christie’s home as a final goodbye. Having Dennis, Lynea and Carrie there was a gift, as I had never really spent any time with Christie’s’ sisters or Dennis. While we were clearing her home, we discovered drawing pads of incredible medical drawings with muscle and bone anatomy. So detailed and correct. We also found drawing books of cats and other beautifully detailed drawings. A treasure trove of art by Christie. It was rather wonderful to be working in her home and find all these gems including all the little post-its with explanations of what each item was, or what it was for, or when it would expire. She was a meticulous person in all ways.
It was hard and uncomfortable work made positive by all the love we shared for Christie.
My older brother and sister meant a lot to me. They were 18 and 17 years older than me, and while I never lived with them, I was so grateful to have them in my life. Christie’s Noehren family was very important to her. I know she enjoyed the yearly family get-to-gather’s and keeping in contact with the extended family. Christie was an avid letter writer, she loved to keep in touch and was very prolific. We found boxes full of copies of the letters she wrote to everyone. She was very loved by her whole circle of family and extended community that Dennis introduced her to. If I find more of her art work I will post it here.
