\t\t\tChristine Marie Waters \t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tOBITUARY\t\t<\/p>\n
Christine Marie Waters (Bourne), passed away peacefully at her home on September 18, 2026, at the age of 76, with her husband and daughter by her side.<\/p>\n
Chris was born in San Diego, California, on December 13, 1949, to Rex A. Bourne and Marie L. Bourne. She grew up in Linda Vista with her older siblings, Marcia and Terry, and attended Mark Twain Elementary School, Montgomery Junior High School, and Kearny High School. Her years at Kearny shaped much of the life that followed. Chris was a member of the cheer and song leader team and met three young women\u2013Merry, Francie, and Suzette\u2013who would become her lifelong girlfriends. It was also at Kearny that she met Tom Waters, the young man who would become her husband and lifelong companion.<\/p>\n
After graduating in 1968, Chris began working in the business offices at the GMC car dealership in Mission Valley. In 1970, Chris and Tom married, bought a tiny home near San Diego State University, and soon welcomed their daughter, Jennifer, into their family.<\/p>\n
In 1975, the family moved to South Mission Beach, a place Chris loved. She embraced beach life, forming lifelong friendships and spending summer days playing beach volleyball and swimming in the ocean. Chris and Tom also shared a love of adventure and took numerous bicycle trips with friends, riding through Canada, Europe, and across several states throughout the United States.<\/p>\n
After moving to the beach, Chris began a career with the San Diego Unified School District, teaching business classes through the Regional Occupational Program at Crawford High School. She later transferred to Clairemont High School, where she continued teaching and also coached girls volleyball and soccer. Teaching and coaching brought many people into Chris\u2019s life, and she formed lasting relationships with students and athletes that continued long after they left her classroom or team. She also loved playing recreational soccer, where, true to form, she made even more lifelong friends. In 1986, Chris, Tom and Jennifer moved to Pacific Beach, where Chris would remain for the rest of her life.<\/p>\n
After 25 years of work, Chris retired, opening the door to a new chapter filled with travel and adventure. In 1998, she and Tom set off on a year long trip around the world. Among the many places they visited, Nepal, Kenya, Thailand, Vietnam and Ireland held a special place in her heart. In 2005 Chris and Tom embarked on another remarkable adventure aboard their 35-foot Island Packet sailboat. They sailed from San Diego, around the tip of Baja California and into the Sea of Cortez, where they spent four wonderful years exploring, meeting people and enjoying life together on their boat.<\/p>\n
For all the places Chris traveled and all the adventures she experienced, however, she would say that her favorite adventure of all was being a grandmother. Chris welcomed her first grandchild, Jakob, in 1999 and her granddaughter, Kyrah, in 2003. She felt incredibly blessed to live nearby and to be such an active part of their lives. She volunteered at their elementary school, cheered them on at sporting events, attended their plays and musicals, and was there to watch them graduate from high school and college. She was enormously proud of the young adults they became, and the time she spent with Jake and Kyrah brought her tremendous joy.<\/p>\n
Faith and service were also important parts of Chris\u2019s life. She grew up attending Linda Vista Presbyterian Church with her family and later became a deacon there. She remained part of the church community until it closed its doors in 2022. Chris then joined Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church, where she again served as a deacon and, as she had throughout her life, formed several wonderful new friendships.<\/p>\n
Chris was a loving and caring wife, mother and grandmother. She loved taking care of Tom and treasured time spent with Jennifer, her son-in-law, Scott, and her grandchildren. She was also extremely close with Tom\u2019s brothers, Norman and Larry, whom she considered her own brothers.<\/p>\n
Chris never asked for much for herself, but she was always there when someone needed her. Throughout her life, she had a remarkable ability to turn the people she met into lasting friends\u2013at school, at the beach, on a soccer field, at church, while traveling, and everywhere life took her.<\/p>\n
And amid a life filled with great adventures, Chris also appreciated life\u2019s smallest pleasures. She especially loved the hummingbirds that visited her Pacific Beach home and could often be found sitting outside and \u201ctalking\u201d to them.<\/p>\n
Chris is survived by her husband and lifelong companion, Tom; her daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Scott Panfil; her beloved grandchildren, Jakob Osland and Kyrah Panfil; her sister, Marcia Slusher; her brothers-in-law, Norman (Cheryl) Waters and Larry (Nikki) Waters; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Rex and Marie Bourne, and her brother, Terry Bourne.<\/p>\n
Chris leaves behind a life defined not simply by the extraordinary places she traveled or the adventures she experienced, but by the people she loved and the relationships she nurtured along the way. She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a proud grandmother, a caring teacher and coach, a faithful friend, and someone who showed her love by simply being there.<\/p>\n
In keeping with Chris\u2019s wishes, there will be no memorial service. Instead, her family will honor her in a way that reflects the life she lived, spreading her ashes in the places she loved most.<\/p>\n
Chris spent a lifetime exploring the world, but the things she treasured most were always close to home\u2013Tom, her family, her friends, and perhaps a hummingbird or two stopping by for a visit.<\/p>\n
The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Gina, Rebecca, Karen and George of the Sharp Hospice team for their kindness, guidance and support during this difficult time.<\/p>\n