Ms Christine Lightfoot

Christine Elizabeth Lightfoot was born in Brooklyn New York on January 31, 1949 to Vivian and George Lightfoot. She was the 5th of 6 children in the family. She passed peacefully surrounded by family on March 24, 2025. Christine was raised in a white waterfront house with a white picket fence and a dock and beautiful gardens in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn. She had the soul of an artist and seeker. She went to Pratt Institute to study visual arts and earned her degree. She also had a keen interest in spirituality and travel. Christine was tall with green eyes, long light brown hair, and was striking wearing all white for several years. She was courageous and lived life on her own terms. In her 20’s, Christine traveled to India and lived at the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. While there, she was invited to have a private breakfast with the Dali Lama who was visiting the ashram. Christine traveled to Morocco on a freighter ship, and lived in Morocco for a year. She also spent a summer in Sardinia. She moved to Los Angeles where she lived for several years, before returning to the Chelsea neighborhood in New York City. She was a voracious reader and frequented all of New York’s galleries and art museums. Christine loved fashion and textile design. She had her own boutique for several years on East 9th Street in Greenwich Village called, The Amber Star, where she sold clothing that she designed and made. She also created intricately beaded leather handbags. Christine went on to manage several boutiques over the years such as Chelsea Designs and Chelsea Atelier in New York City. Christine’s specialty was hand painting on silk fabric. A major theme of her work was richly colored florals, which she made into beautiful tunics, jackets and scarves. Her garments were featured at Bergdorf Goodman’s and Bloomingdales. Christine traveled to Japan to learn traditional Japanese silk painting techniques and returned with a collection of kimonos. Meryl Streep wore one of Christine’s hand painted kimonos in the movie Sophie’s Choice. Christine taught textile painting at The New School of Visual Arts. In her later years, she was drawn to painting yantras, a Sanskrit word for geometric diagrams used as an aid to meditation. Christine is survived by her beloved brother James and sister Lynn. Sister-in-Law Vera Lightfoot, Brother- in-Law Charles Erickson and his wife Sigrid , Cousins Dorothy (nee Greene) Crocker and her husband Jim, Norma Greene, William Greene and his wife Nurit. She is predeceased by her sisters Lois and Florence, and brother George and niece Stacy Donovan and Sister-in-Law Camille Wermuth. She is survived by her beloved nieces Karen Erickson and her husband Yasha Jampolsky, Susan Erickson and her wife Barb Seatter, Lisa Loewenstein, Liza McKeever and her husband Edward T. Gardner III, Jessica Knaust, and nephews John Michael Young and his husband Ray Robertello, George Lightfoot III and his wife Mary Clare, great nieces Lindsey, Juliette, Katie, Jenna and great nephews Corey, Lucas, Zachary, Alec, Bryan, Ronnie and Jon, great great nieces Cecily and Elisa, great great nephews Finn and Mako. Christine leaves behind many dearly loved friends all over the country. Christine"s love, kindness, wisdom, artistry, humor, patience and her spirit for life will be greatly missed by her loving family and all those whose lives she touched. A memorial service will be announced, with date and time in the upcoming months.

Tributes

Ms Christine Lightfoot

January 31, 1949 - March 24, 2025