Christine McKowen (Haas) Carr passed away on April 26, 2023 from lymphoma at her home in Seattle, surrounded by her family.
Born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Christine grew up in Brazil, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, with Virginia/Washington, D.C. as her home-base. The youngest of four sisters, Christine was a lovely reflection of the best of her family and very much her own person - one of deep faith, reflective, compassionate and delighted in the wonders this world had to explore.
Christine moved to Seattle to attend Seattle Pacific University, where she received her B.A. in English and Art History. In Seattle, she met William (Bill) Haas. They married in 1990 and had three children, Lewis Campbell Haas, Jane Tinker Haas, and Sydney Marie Haas. They raised their family in the Bryant/Ravenna neighborhood and enjoyed picnics under the UW cherry blossoms, taking Oscar-the-Wonderdog to the dog park, and exploring the lovely nature of Washington State, as well as taking frequent trips to visit both her and Bill’s families on the East Coast. Bill passed away from cancer in 2011.
In 2015, Christine married Robert Michael Graves Carr and had the privilege of welcoming his family, including his children Julian, Isabelle, Cory and Colton into her life. Christine and Rob enjoyed taking trips to Phoenix and Hawaii, sailing (with Robi doing the heavy lifting), and supporting each other’s artistic endeavors.
Throughout her career, in between caregiving and raising a family, Christine was guided by her faith to live humbly, act mercifully, and seek justice. She was an advocate for those marginalized by society. Professionally, much of her career was spent working with and on behalf of at-risk students, refugees, victims of human trafficking, and individuals and families experiencing homelessness. She was steadfast in her commitment to making the world a better place. At Christmas she would often say her only wish was for “world peace”, and she certainly did her part in making that come true. She had a special ability to make people feel seen and heard. Christine treated people with respect and care. She recognized their humanity and their uniqueness, making each individual feel special and valued.
In her free time Christine enjoyed traveling, family game nights, going to art museums, listening to music, cooking, reading and mixed media projects. She relished all aspects of photography—from composition to the dark room—a lifetime hobby she discovered with her father when in 4th grade. She also loved the water—swimming, body surfing, snorkeling, and floating were her favorites. (She began her paddle boarding adventures the day before her diagnosis).
Christine is survived by husband Rob Carr, children Lewis (Riza) Haas, Jane Haas and Sydney Haas, granddaughter Eliza Haas, and stepchildren Colton (Kelsie) Carr, Cory Carr, Isabelle Carr and Julian Carr. She is survived by her mother, Wanda Jane McKowen (93!), her sisters Mariam Anise Bell (March), Marietta Lynn Rueger (Buz), Karen Louise Royer (Kyle), 15 nieces and nephews and their 24 children, her mother-in-law, Marilyn Carr and sisters-in-law Regina Paul, Anne Haas, Kimi Graves, Michell Retinould (Graves) and Sadie Graves Kennedy.
A memorial will be held at Union Church Seattle on Sunday, May 21st, 2023 at 3:00pm.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following organizations in her honor:
Facing Homelessness
https://facinghomelessness.org
Hugo House
https://hugohouse.org
Dress for Success Seattle
https://seattle.dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donate/