Christine Marie Seeba

Family matriarch Christine Marie Seeba – first child born on May 16, 1941, to Christian and Mary-Etta Seeba in Jacksonville, Florida – took her last breath on Earth June 30, 2025, in Tucson, Arizona.

 

Three generations of Barrentines, extended family members, and Hospice caregivers were by her side when she passed.

 

Gift of Life

 

Christine married ex-husband Wayne Barrentine, her high-school sweetheart, at 19. She brought five beautiful souls into the world within six years, instilling in them strength and kindness. She left behind four beating hearts: Kenneth Wayne Barrentine, of Fremont, California; Karina Elizabeth Barrentine and Tiana Marie Barrentine, of Tucson; and Kurt Wade Barrentine, of DeFuniak Springs, Florida. The youngest, Kevin William Barrentine (arguably the best of the bunch!), died in a fire at 23.

 

Juxtaposing Lifestyles

 

Christine’s life straddled the traditional and non-traditional. She lived through World War II and attended Catholic school as a child in the 1940s. She was a stay-at-home mom in the deep south in the ‘60s and active nationwide in social movements for equality and peace during the ‘70s and ‘80s.

 

The trailblazer lived off grid in the Ozark Mountains in a women’s community, and she was a member of the Ozark Women’s Trucking Collective. She drove, and trained others to drive, 18-wheelers delivering natural foods to homesteaders and retailers throughout the country. 

 

As her children grew into adults, Christine earned an undergraduate degree in computer science at the University of Arkansas then did a stint processing data on a mainframe at an oil company in Denver, Colorado. For a time, she managed the office for the Junior League of Tucson. 

 

All in Good Fun

 

Throughout life, Christine enjoyed jitterbugging and wisecracking with eight sentinel aunts and uncles; bathing with a bar of Ivory in Keystone Heights’ Swan Lake at the home of her grandparents (Jim and Vera Boyle); doing puzzles, playing cards, reading and watching silly movies with her grandchildren; having one ice-cold Corona in the evening; gardening and smelling the posies by her bedside; savoring homecooked family dinners; and taking leisurely drives (sometimes ending up in neighboring states, once even clear across the country!).

 

From Alaska to Mexico, Christine delighted in strolls by the seashore and treks on mountainsides, especially traveling with her favorite aunt, Vera Margaret Benjamin, who passed away in 2023. The laughter lives on in Vera’s children, Elizabeth Bowen-Alexander and Lee Bowen.

 

Trail of Love

 

Like her spiritual guide Kwan Yin, Goddess of Mercy, Christine heard the cries of the world. She was a compassionate listener, confidante and helper, mentoring and filling crucial gaps for friends and family. 

When ovarian cancer took their mother, Mary-Etta, in 1964, Christine stepped in maternally for baby sister Ty (Katherine) Seeba, who also died young (at 48) in 1998 from ovarian cancer. She cherished Ty’s children, niece and nephew Carmelita and Christopher Angeles. Through it all, bonds deepened with her brother, Cal Seeba, who died in 2021. 

 

Holding Christine dear from coast to coast are nine treasured grandchildren: Adrian, Alex and Allie Rose in Tucson; Stefanie, Shayne and Kylie in California; Tiffany, Kurt Jr. and Katie in Florida, and 10 great grandchildren: Jayleen and Renee in Tucson; Tatum in California; Jamie, David Jr., Evelyn, Faith, Elijah, Elizabeth and Marguerite in Florida.

 

Ties that bind were not confined to direct bloodlines. Additional survivors include daughters in law Terri (Kenneth) and Tracy (Kurt) Barrentine; longtime partner Cindy Campbell, a Hospice nurse who cared for Ty and Christine; half-brothers Sean and Chris Seeba; niece Jennifer Seeba, nephew Morgan Geer and sister-in-law Arlie (Cal); along with numerous cousins and surrogate grandchildren.

 

Love knows no boundaries. Hers will be forever remembered.