Christine Cecilia Thompson

Christine (Tina) Brown Holland (82) a resident of Port Charlotte, FL since May of 1991 where she passed away on Saturday August 24, 2024. She was born on January 16, 1942, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada a daughter of Earl S. and Louise (Melanson) Holland.

Christine moved to New Toronto, Ontario Canada in 1958 with her parents and she attended Alderwood Collegiate High School. She worked for the Trane Air Condition Company as a secretary. 

Christine then moved with her parents back to Halifax, Nova Scotia whereby she worked for a loan company and married a Canada Navy Sailor David B. Brown in September of 1961 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. David was killed in an automobile accident in October of 1963.

She then married Earl Thompson in December of 1966 at Yonkers, West Chester, New York and they lived in Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island, Florida. She was an avid bowler and belonged to both Grumman Wives Club and Grumman Wives Bowling League. Her husband Earl worked as an engineer for Grumman Apollo Lunar Modular in which he landed astronauts on the moon. At the completion of the Apollo program which ended in December of 1972, her husband remained working for Grumman and was transferred to the Navy Base at Point Mugu, California; thus, they moved to Newbury Park, California to live. Earl’s daughter Brenda came out to visit them in the summer of 1973, when she was 10 years old and remained living with them until 1982; thus, Tina was Brenda’s stepmother all those years. 

Christine attended the Clipper ship grooming school for 6 months by driving the LA freeways every day of the week to and from Newbury Park to Canoga Park, California. She graduated on 3 July 1980 and then worked as dog groomer at the Classy Canine Shop located in Park Plaza, Newbury Park California until she retired in September of 1990 and moved to Port Charlotte, Florida.

Tina became interested in tole painting and went to painting classes being held at the Port Charlotte Cultural Center plus other tole painting places around both Charlotte and Sarasota Counties. She became an excellent tole painter along with other tole painting ladies in Port Charlotte. She converted one room in her house on Beach View Court to a painting room whereby other painters joined her in this room to paint.

Christine always wanted to become a United States citizen; thus she went to night school for two years and passed her Naturalization Test in Tampa on 29 July 1999 and became an American Citizen. She also belonged to the Southwest, Florida Grumman Retiree Club. 

She is survived by her husband Earl, stepson Brad Thompson of Florence, Arizona, stepdaughter Brenda Cockrell of Homestead, Florida, sisters-in-law Mary Lou Flowers and Kathleen Thompson of New Castle, Indiana, plus granddaughters Jafath Sabogal husband Wilson of Cibolo, Texas, Amanda Wright husband Erik of Buellton, California, Bradie King husband Carson of San Tan Valley, Arizona, Chrissy Anderson husband Michael of Holly Springs, North Carolina and great-grandchildren Emma Anderson, Ilyana Sabogal, Illeah Sabagol, Adeline Wright, Tatum King and Jayden Senftner. 

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Earl, half sister-in-law Florence Thompson, sisters-in-laws Norma Jeand Flowers and Sara Thompson, brothers-in-law Charles, Francis and Edward Thompson. 

 Inurnment will be in Sarasota National Cemetery. Arrangements by Charlotte Memorial Funeral Home Punta Gorda, Florida.