Christine Cole Burnett's Obituary
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Christine Cole Burnett passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 25, 2024, with her son Craig, daughter-in-law Hilary and priest Ellen Hurwitz at her side.
Born October 9, 1944, to Fred and Marjorie Thompson of Essex, Massachusetts, Christine graduated from Gloucester high school in 1962 and went on to attain her AS degree from the University of Vermont and BS from the University of Rhode Island. After college, she lived and worked in Boston (she would often remind her son, Craig, that she lived right down the street from the famed CITGO sign behind Fenway Park) and in 1968 met Rowland Burnett of Rehoboth, Massachusetts. The two married in May of 1969 and had two children, Craig and Stacey. Christine and Ron raised the kids in Rehoboth, and Christine was heavily involved in the community. Whether it was leading the League of Women’s Voters, coaching the youth cheerleading teams or being an assistant coach for the Rehoboth little league baseball, Christine loved living in the small southeastern Massachusetts town.
During her time in Massachusetts, Christine worked as an administrative assistant at a law firm while attending URI and eventually obtaining her Real Estate Broker license. She also worked as a civilian contractor at the Newport Naval Base, a position she held until she decided to move to Maryland in order to be closer to her grandchildren.
Christine moved into Crestwood Village in Frederick, Maryland in 2006 and immediately became a fixture in the community, making so many friends that they are impossible to list (you know who you are, though!). Lunches with “the fun bunch”, hosting wine and cheese parties, teaching water aerobics and playing bridge and mahjong were just a few of her “hobbies”. She was also learning to paint, and her watercolors are now cherished by her family members. She also worked part-time at Saint James Episcopal church in Mt. Airy until she decided to retire in 2010.
Retirement did not slow her down one bit. She traveled to Ireland, Germany, Austria, England, the Caribbean and Roatan, Honduras (amongst other places) during her “down time”. She also loved attending her many high school reunions in Gloucester and visiting with her grandchildren. There were yearly trips to Smith Mountain Lake with Craig, Hilary, Caitlin, Lily and Colby and the Moyers family, as well as spending every Christmas and Thanksgiving with them at their home in Haymarket, Virginia.
The ultimate fighter, Christine survived open heart surgery, a total colectomy, leukemia (including 9 rounds of chemotherapy), and COPD. The entire family will be eternally grateful for the absolutely outstanding care given by Dr. Jonathan Webster and his team at Johns Hopkins hospital the last 7 years of her life.
Christine was preceded in death by her parents, Marjorie and Fred Thompson, as well as her brother, Fred Thompson II. She is survived by her children, Craig Burnett (Hilary) and Stacey (Chris) as well as her niece Elizabeth Thompson, nephew Eric Thompson (Amy), and her great-nephews Tristan, Liam and Ossian. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren. Caitlin, Lily, Colby, Hannah, Jackson and Ella.
In lieu of flowers, Christine had one special request. Everyone who took the time to read this to the end obviously cared deeply for her and she thought if that was the case, you wouldn’t mind one last small ask. Christine’s request is this: Go out and perform a “random act of kindness”. Buy a stranger coffee, help someone carry their groceries, offer words of encouragement to someone. Just go out and do something special or unexpected for a stranger. Nothing would make Christine happier.
What’s your fondest memory of Christine?
What’s a lesson you learned from Christine?
Share a story where Christine's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Christine you’ll never forget.
How did Christine make you smile?