Christine Franke-Webb

Christine Ann Franke-Webb, 34, died peacefully at home in Fulton, Missouri, surrounded by family, friends and her beloved cats and dogs on Sunday, November 2, 2008.  She is survived by her husband, James Franke-Webb, whom she married in 1995.  Other survivors include her parents, Gordon and Kay Franke of Kirksville and two brothers; Curtis and his wife Chris of Kirksville and Kelvin and his wife Tomoko of Seattle, Washington.

Christine attended Truman State University in Kirksville and was the first graduate ever to be awarded  a degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Missouri in Columbia.  She and her husband Jim had planned to join the Peace Corps after graduation but her battle with metastatic breast cancer began her last semester of college and started her on a heroic fight with the disease.  Christine did not let her baldness or exhaustion from treatments and chemotherapy deter her from completing her degree and she never gave up her dream of working for the developing world.  She stayed informed and active in the cause throughout the remainder of her life.

According to her wishes, Christine was cremated and a private memorial service was held at the country home of her and her husband Jim on Wednesday, November 5.  The site was important to Christine as it was her dream to experiment with different agricultural systems and to design cheap, efficient housing.  The farm gave her a place to continue with these plans and she filled countless notebooks with sketches and outlines for these projects.

The large and eclectic crowd of people who attended Christine’s memorial service speak to the impact she had on a wide variety of people from different backgrounds.  Even during her worst times with her disease, Christine remained optimistic and treasured her family, friends and pets.

Memorials may be made to Heifer International organization which helps purchase livestock to assist impoverished families in the developing world or mailed to the Christine Franke-Webb Memorial at 5995 Shelly Drive; Fulton, Missouri  65251.

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