Christine M. Avelleyra - Obituary

hristine was 95 years old when she peacefully left this earth on March 21st. She was affectionally called Bubba by family and friends alike. Living in Mt. Rainier, MD for 60 years, she was a fixture on her front porch, either waving to people who passed by or fussing at them to pick up after their dogs. Christine’s full time job was raising her family of 9 children. She did quite a bit of it on her own after her husband, Aurelio, passed away 40 years ago. Her children include Linda (married to Warren), John (who gave his life in Viet Nam), Francesca (married to Saul), Carla (married to Billy), Marcus, Michael (Married to Diane), Tina, Mary Margaret and Anna Marie. From all these children came the grandchildren - Chrissy, Elena, Julia, Nora, Annie, Larissa, Jason, Aurelio, Matthew, Nicholas, Elizabeth, Ashley, John, Michael, Daniel and Dulcinea. And from the grandchildren came great grandchildren - Jordan, Brooke, Gabrielle, Isadora, Annabelle, Dutch, Marisol, Bailey, Peyton, Avery, Olivia and Savannah. Christine enjoyed working in her garden, tending to both flowers and vegetables. As the seasons changed, so did the decorations on her front porch - many neighbors would come by to see how she and her children would show off the latest holiday/seasonal ornaments. During the Spring and Summer, her flower boxes were overflowing with bursts of reds, yellow, pinks and white. Christine was a great wife and a good sport. When her husband, who never got a driver’s license, came home with a 1965 4 door Lincoln Continental, fondly called ‘The Boat’, she willingly got behind the wheel. She became quite the cook, preparing Aurelio’s favorite dishes - paella and oyster stew. The two of them would dance in the living room to the song ‘Bessa Me Mucho’, while their children watched and cheered them on. Ah....the children. What can you say about a woman who raises 9 children? She was a doctor, a chauffeur, a master chef, a seamstress, a domestic goddess, a social worker, a counselor and a referee. When someone commented “I don’t know how you raised 9 children” her response was “I don’t know, either”. The fact that none of her children spent time in jail is a testament to her parenting skills. Christine was a fabulous grandmother/great grandmother. Throughout the many years of time spent with her grans, you could walk into the house and find a variety of things going on: wrestling on the TV, video games being played on the dining room floor, bowls of cereal at bedtime, quilts on the floor for sleepovers, badminton being played in the back yard or a card game going on. If you were lucky, you might even see her do a cartwheel on the front lawn. We will miss her smile, her contagious laugh, her support and the great love she had for her family and friends. We will carry those things in our hearts and find them there when we think of her. Friends are invited to celebrate Christine's life at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD on Wednesday, March 31 from 1 pm until her funeral service begins at 3 pm. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to New Horizons, 16000 Trade Zone Ave., Ste. 109, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 or St. Anne's Center for Children, Youth and Families, 4901 Eastern Ave., Hyattsville, MD 20782. Condolences may be made by using the Memory Wall tab on this page.