Christine Blackard Williams

Christine Blackard Williams 82, of Ashland MS and Memphis TN, passed peacefully on November 9th surrounded by family. A graduate of Messick High School in Memphis, Christine went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work from Memphis State University. In college she learned the art of peaceful protest while working with friends to encourage integration of the university. She also met Gary, her husband of 58 years. She loved to tell the story of the night in college when she had two dates. Gary was the second. He likely loved the story just a bit less but still smiled when she told it. That night began 63 years of love, fun, difficult times, kids, moves, and true partnership.

Christine grew up with her brother Walter “Butch” Blackard and their incredible parents. Her sisters (and partners in crime) were born when she was a teenager. Family trips to Wisconsin, pulling maple candy straight from the equipment in the family syrup businesses, and fishing at Margaret Lake were her favorite memories. Ann and Karen loved spending nights with their sister and brother-in-law in what they would describe as the fanciest apartment they had ever seen. All of the siblings were close, and that is something she successfully passed to her own daughters.

Christine was “family first” always. She never met a family tradition that she didn’t love. She made holidays magical for her girls. She taught them that a woman could have a career and a family if everyone pitched in. She was an artful builder of memories. There are too many to share without writing a novel. She was a fan of anything whimsical. An avid quilter, she loved to create. She and Jennifer enjoyed British comedies and any independent or obscure film they could find. Popcorn was a must. She loved road trips for antiques and stopping at roadside vegetable stands. She had a zest for experiences. Live events featuring Maya Angelou, David Sedaris, Joe Biden, countless symphonies, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and solar eclipses were among her favorites.

The family moved several times for Gary’s career. While it was always difficult for her to be away from her parents and siblings, those years cemented Gary, Christine, and their daughters as a tight knit family of four.

Christine and Gary raised very close but very different daughters. She seemed to know them both on an almost cellular level and was able to give each exactly the relationship that was needed. Shannon never had a chorus concert or color guard event (in middle, high school, or college) without a parent happily present, and she was allowed her fierce independence. Jennifer was adored for her individuality. She was allowed crazy hair colors and spooky sleepovers that may or may not have included teenage girls around a Ouija board calling on spirits. Jennifer learned the art of being a mother by watching her own. Christine loved her daughters fiercely and was proud of them always.

Christine spent most of her career in social services. She was a fierce advocate for children, while never putting anything above her own, and worked hard to keep families together. Following the family move to Douglasville, Georgia, she met the director of an adoption agency and began working in domestic and international adoptions. She worked within the established programs, often traveling to South America, India, and China. A national news feature on the detestable conditions in Romanian orphanages would soon alter her path. When she saw the conditions and the treatment of the children, she flew into a series of actions that only Christine could mastermind. Soon after that she was on a flight to Bucharest to do whatever was needed and set up a program for the agency. She knew no one in the country. She knocked on doors and waited in offices until she was heard. As the Romanian program was building, she started a series of foster homes in and around Bucharest. She vetted the families herself, visited the homes in person, and supplied them with whatever was needed. As soon as the government authorities identified a child she was allowed to work with, she was determined that child would immediately leave the orphanage. She traveled to Romania often. In an interview on local Atlanta news, Gary commented on her success and called her “one pushy broad”. It was perhaps her favorite compliment. On occasion Gary or another family member would join her. Her father, Hugh, joined her on a trip that remained one of her favorite memories. Her sister, Ann, also went with her several times and they loved to tell stories of their adventures. Her sister, Karen, and her daughters were able to join her on a trip to India. These were not vacations. If you traveled into these countries with Christine, you were there to work. She was serious about those children. She went on to set up programs in Russia and Thailand. She pulled thousands of children from orphanage life and almost certain eventual homelessness.

Christine was an impressive woman. Her love of pushing boundaries and doing the seemingly impossible is easy to remember and almost impossible to describe. She was never fully able to hear the word “no”, and that served her well. She was a breaker of any barrier she ever faced.

In 1992 she was thrilled when the opportunity presented to return to Memphis. While traveling the globe, she never stopped missing her parents and siblings. Soon after their return, the girls followed, both eventually graduating from The University of Memphis, and the whole family was together again.

After retirement, she and Gary moved to Ashland Mississippi. They bought their dream property with horses and a large garden. She loved browsing seed catalogs and nurseries, filling the property with any flowers that would encourage butterflies and hummingbirds. They spent 20 years canning tomatoes and feeding birds while also becoming grandparents. Grandsons Oliver and Cannon became central to their lives. They now lived an hour away, but Christine was in Memphis often to see the kids. As soon as the kids were old enough, their grandparents bought Oliver a horse and Cannon a pony. They made Ashland a playground, and the kids spent many days in their swings, sandbox, and riding the horses. She insisted that she buy their winter coats every year. When they were cold, those coats were “a hug from Grammy”.

Christine and Gary returned to Memphis when health issues made staying in Ashland difficult. While it was difficult to let go of that home, she was again able to be surrounded by family. She was able to see her daughters often and get to know her future son-in-law, Ron. They became fast friends, and she fired everyone else from cooking duties after the first time he made dinner. Following Gary’s death, she lived with Shannon and Ron for the few short months she was agreeable to staying here without her husband. That home was constantly filled with visitors. Her final months were filled with family time.

She was most assuredly met by those who preceded her in death including Gary, her parents Hugh and Doris Blackard, younger sister Ann (Steve), brothers in law Tommy (Mary) and Austin, son-in-law Jason (Jennifer), her aunt “Sis”, and a host of others.

Left to celebrate and remember include her daughters Jennifer Holt (Jason), Shannon Williams(Ron Haggart), grandsons Oliver and Cannon Holt, sister Karen Maestri (Ricky), brother Walter Blackard (Bobbie), brother-in-law Steve Reichling (Ann), sister-in-law Kay Bumpas (Danny), nieces and nephews Garron, Cooper (Kate), Ashley (Lee) , Amy (Jason), Melissa, Kay (Christian), Stacey, Samantha (Scott), and Chad (Kristen). Special steadfast friends Beth and Kevin Kovacs and Marsha Moore are included and always considered family.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to any charities that aid children. To honor her, make a difference in the life of a young person, feed someone in need, plant a garden, love your family fiercely as she did.

The family would like to thank Crossroads Hospice and our wonderful Maxine from Comfort Keepers for their loving care of both Gary and Christine.

A visitation for Christine will be held Friday, November 14, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN 38133. A funeral service will occur Friday, November 14, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 2:50 PM, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN 38133. A committal service will occur Friday, November 14, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM at Memory Hill Gardens, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN 38133.