Christine Louise Hill Garofalo

Christine Louise (Hill) Garofalo

Christine Louise (Hill) Garofalo died Monday (Dec. 8, 2008) at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis campus in Wichita.

She was born Dec. 28, 1955, in Fort Scott to Lawrence and Hazel (Bray) Hill.

She married and is survived by Jerome J. Garofalo; her mother; and her eight siblings, Terry, Jerry, Mary Ann (Benage), Tom, Martin, Joe, Theresa (Buntain) and Steve.

Christine attended St. Mary Catholic School and Fort Scott junior and high schools, graduating in 1974.

She earned her bachelor's degree in criminology from Wichita State University in 1978. She began her career in court services in Great Bend. In 1980, Christine became a court services officer in Newton, where she worked until her death.

She and Jerome gave birth to two sons, Giovanni (age 25) and Luciano (age 21), raising them at their home in Walton. In 1998, they moved to Newton to be closer to school, friends and family.

Christine was endlessly loving of her family, spending as much of her free time as possible in Wichita with her nieces and nephews. Christine also had a tremendous faith in God, keeping her family involved with St. Mary's Catholic Parish in Newton.

She found great symbolism and inspiration in lighthouses, collecting them along with a multitude of other knick-knacks. Christine was a fountain of creativity, crafting her own stationery, writing poems and short stories, and decorating every space she occupied.

She remains in the love of God and lives on in the hearts of all her loved ones.

Recitation of the Holy Rosary will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Petersen Funeral Home in Newton. The family will receive friends following the Rosary until 8:30 p.m.

Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Newton, with the Rev. Jim Mainzer as celebrant.

A second visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home in Fort Scott, with a Rosary at 7:30 p.m. at the funeral home.

Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary's Cemetery in Ft. Scott.

Memorials may be left with Kansans For Life in care of Petersen Funeral Home, 215 N. Main St., Newton, KS 67114.