Dionne Evangeline Christie-Cunningham

Originally from Jamaica, Dionne grew up with her sister Ceron under the guidance of their grandmother Vera Rose, when their mom immigrated to the United States. While in Jamaica Dionne attended St. Richards Primary School and later Queens College. In the eighties, Dionne and her sister immigrated to the U.S. to join their mother.

Dionne attended City College and New York University where she studied Economics and Politics and a few years later Marketing, at Western Governors University. Skilled in the art of political debate, she was at one point a staunch Reagan Republican who would have heated debates with her cousin.

Soon after getting married, Dionne, her husband and their children moved from Pennsylvania to Florida. She spent several years as a mortgage broker in Florida and later Maryland, and for a short time partnered with a national firm to run her own mortgage office.

Moving to Texas in 2004, she made the decision to become a stay at home mother, where she devoted time to homeschooling her children, painting and upholstering furniture. Dionne was an avid reader who enjoyed architecture, politics, debating, writing stories, cooking, sewing, painting, playing monopoly and traveling.

She loved to travel especially to California, for the mountains, Redwoods, and ocean. Her visits often included her famous version of Jamaican Black cake, to be enjoyed by friends and hungry high school teens. Her original drawings and paintings hang in several California homes. She enjoyed road trips, her last in July 2017 traveling cross country from California through Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado, and back to Texas. She loved everything magical and would often try to convince anyone who would listen of the existence of unicorns and fairies. An outspoken woman - she felt her greatest success are her 4 children.

Dionne is survived by her children: Joshua Christie, Dakota, McKenzie and Ari; husband Everton; mother, Veronica Rose and Stepfather Joseph Mitchell; Sisters: Ceron Christie, Tamara Elijah, Patricia Whyte, Gloria, Samantha and Maxine Christie; Uncle and Aunt: Roy and Gemmie and cousins: Robert, Vaughn, Rohan, Martene Sinclair; niece and nephews, Shelly, Dale, Gabriel and Abigail and grandchildren Mike Collado and Piper Dionne Elena Christie.