I met Christi in 2003 in Tucson, AZ, when I first started honeybee research. A smart, fun and energetic person that we instantly connected as a colleague and a friend. So many memories and stories to tell, from Almond Board conferences, research projects, beekeeping conferences, and even meeting with beekeepers in Lost Hills, CA, in the middle of the winter to look at bees from a hill. Christi never stopped learning and her energy and passion was contagious. She was a good listener, supportive and always challenging you to do more and when I became professionally independent and funded my first research project at PAm. She gave me the confidence that when you set your mind to do something is always possible.
When she moved to AZ, she practiced Spanish with me and showed up at the house on her Jeep for "the class" as she said and of course, never forgot the cookies for the children.
I am deeply saddened and will always remember Christi, my colleague, friend and mentor. My most profound sympathy to her family.
Thank you so much for sharing your memories. I love that you mentioned that she never stopped learning and that she was a great listener. It reminds me of how often she would read up on different subjects that we had talked about and she'd send me interesting articles and her thoughts on what she read. She was great at taking a moment to think over conversations and let you know she was still thinking of you