Christina (Christine) Louise Borges passed away on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at the age of 89. She was a resident of Fortuna and will be long remembered as a loving wife, mother, and grandmother.

She was born July 9, 1935 in Ferndale. The daughter of Louis (“Louie”) Bucher and Laura Luis Kinzel, she grew up in Fortuna and graduated from Fortuna High School. Shortly after graduation, she married Max R. Borges and moved to Rio Dell, where they raised four children. Taught to play piano as a young girl, she loved music and passed that enthusiasm onto her family. She spent many years as head librarian at the Rio Dell Library and was active in the PTA, Boy Scouts, and as a seamstress.

As her children began to leave home, Christine became more active in the workforce. For several years, she managed the Little Ponderosa Cafe in Rio Dell, and then she and Max managed the Rio Dell Bowl and Coffee Shop. Later, she was hostess for Sanford’s Seafood restaurant in the Redwood Village Shopping Center. She will be most recently remembered for assisting Tom Renner at Ring’s Pharmacy in Ferndale where, for over a decade, she greeted customers at the pharmacy store and was responsible for staging the seasonal decorations in the store’s front windows.

Christine’s most fulfilling role however, was that of devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Family was her priority and her proudest achievement. In her final years, she was blessed to be visited by her children and grandchildren regularly. She was passionate about cooking, sewing, and knitting, skills for which she was well known and from which her granddaughters particularly benefited. Later in life, she was devoted to her faithful pet and companion, Zoey, who was a present to her on her 72nd birthday.

Throughout her life, Christine was an active member of the Catholic Church, first at St. Patrick’s Church in Scotia where she played the church organ, and later at St. Joseph’s Parish in Fortuna where she was a devoted member of the Women’s Society and was responsible for the church’s floral arrangements for several years.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Max, her mother, Laura Kinzel, and her father, Louis Bucher, all in 1994, and her sister Arlene Banducci in 2006.

Christine is survived by her four children and their spouses, Mark Borges and Lynne Orton of Washington D.C., Lane and Karan Borges of Gold River, California, Keith and Cori Borges of Fortuna, and Rosanne and Clint Brill of Roseville, California, along with nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, Louis David Bucher, and his wife, Linda, of Fortuna, and sisters, Betty Spaulding of Kennewick, Washington, and Kim Kinzel of Bakersfield, California.

Christine was interred at Ocean View St. Bernard’s Cemetery in Eureka, California, along with her husband, Max. A memorial service will be held in her honor at a future date. Contributions in her memory may be made to Hospice of Humboldt or the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org).

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Ferndale Open Door Clinic, Hospice of Humboldt and Sequoia Springs for the compassionate care they provided to our mother in her final months. Your kindness, dedication, and support will never be forgotten. You truly made a difference, and we are forever grateful.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Christina Borges’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.