Christine Elizabeth Hampshire (nee Myatt)

Christine Hampshire passed away peacefully with her loving family by her side on December 5, 2024 at the age of 81 years. 

 Chrissy, as she was affectionately known, is survived by her husband of 61 years David; their four children Robert, Stuart (Lara), Michael (Vicky) and Janine (Paolo); seven grandchildren Alessandra, Massimo, Seren, Stefano, Ava, Eve and Grace. Christine is also survived by two brothers Jeffrey and Nigel and many nieces and nephews around the world. 

 Christine was born in Burslem, Staffordshire, England and raised in Prestatyn, North Wales, attending Rhyl Grammar School. She married David in 1963 in Prestatyn and moved to Manchester where they had their first two children. In 1967, David found work with Canadian Pacific and the young family moved to Canada for what was supposed to be a two-year contract. There was no looking back and after stops in several cities, they settled down in Calgary. This became their home and the family grew with the addition of two more children. 

 Christine trained as an X-ray technician in the UK and worked in this field when the family first moved to Canada. In 1976 she started teaching schoolboard swimming lessons at Killarney Pool. This humble beginning led to a 28-year career with the City of Calgary where she was valued for her hard work, dedication and leadership. 

In 1980 Janine took up synchronized swimming with the Calgary Aquabelles. For Christine, this was the start of nearly four decades of volunteering in local, provincial, national and international Synchronized Swimming. From judging to refereeing to managing meets, Christine did it all. She saw a need for a more recreational and less competitive club, so she started Killarney Synchro. Along with many awards throughout the years, she was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in May 2011 and was the Booster Club Sportsperson of the year in 2015. Christine also volunteered reading to school children and worked with immigrant women. 

 She had a passion for the outdoors and loved hiking and camping, especially with her grandchildren. She was an avid reader and one heck of a Scrabble player. A proud supporter of the local art scene, she had season tickets to the Philharmonic, Calgary Opera and Theatre Calgary. Christine was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She had many friends and will be remembered for her great joy of life and for the impact she had on so many people. She will be greatly missed. 

 Memorial tributes may be made to Defeat MSA Canada: Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) through Canadahelps.org. 

 A celebration of Christine’s life will be held at a later date.