Christene Babich
December 25, 1923 – February 27, 2018
Christene “Chris” Babich, 94, passed away in her home on February 27, 2018. She was born on Christmas Day, 1923 in Monarch, Oklahoma to Wilburn Lee and Vivian Mae Bowerman. Her family lived for a time in Treece, Kansas and moved to Columbus, Kansas when she and her older brother were school age. When her father contracted tuberculosis, the family moved first to Las Animas, Colorado to be near the VA sanatorium at Fort Lyons and then to Cripple Creek, Colorado where she spent most of her school-age years. Her father died in 1938 and the family moved to Miller, Missouri where she graduated from high school.
Anxious to return to Colorado because Missouri and Kansas “had no mountains,” she struck out on her own after high school to attend Seton School of Nursing in Colorado Springs. While in nursing school, she was a member of the Cadet Nurse Corps but did not enter military service since they were no longer actively recruiting nurses. After graduating as an R.N. she began working at Penrose Hospital where she spent her entire career, becoming a purchasing officer after serving as a nurse for many years.
In 1958, Chris married George Babich. They enjoyed square dancing, sing-alongs at the Golden Bee, motorcycling, camping and traveling with friends and family. After George died in 2013, Chris spent a quiet life reading many of the latest book club titles as well as playing cards with her caregivers and doing jigsaw puzzles. She loved Colorado and the view of Pikes Peak from her backyard was a constant reminder of the beauty of the mountains.
A simple memorial service for Chris will be scheduled later. She requested that, in lieu of flowers, family and friends may make a donation in her honor to the charity of the giver’s choice.