surrounded by her immediate and extended family in her hometown Naples, Florida. She was 83.
Christine was a Neapolitan icon. Her zest and enthusiasm for life was unmatched and made her standout
as queen among all the beautiful young competitors in the Miss Naples beauty pageant in 1958.
Christine was ambitious and embraced challenges as she did her victories - with faith, perseverance, and
grace. She was hard working all her life and only recently retired at 81, after 30 years with Trost
International, where she was the mobile home and resort manager of Citrus Park. Although she worked
for many companies in various positions, she was best suited as an owner. In the eighties she opened an
interior design company in Las Vegas with her dear friend, Duffy. Christine also owned and operated a
children’s apparel shop, DD’s Door-slammers, also in Las Vegas. She worked at a commodities firm for a
time, was a certified medical transcriptionist, and held a real estate license while raising three children.
Among all her business endeavors, though, Bugsy’s Speakeasy, a supper club she owned in Escondido,
California was her favorite.
One of Christine’s many shining qualities was her ability to bring people together. Her loyalty and
devotion to friends and family was paramount. In fact, she was a friend to a very large and diverse group
of people and took pride in nurturing those relationships wholeheartedly. Christine’s home was the
gathering place for all on many occasions especially during the holidays. “The more the merrier” was her
creed.
In her youth, she was restless for more and was undeterred by her modest upbringing. She was born on
August 12, 1939, at the end of The Great Depression to her parents William (Bill) and Frances Whidden,
a commercial fisherman and homemaker. Christine was born fourth of 8 children including, Nicky, Kyle,
Sylvia, James, Clint, Phillip, and Mike. Kyle passed away at 2 months from SIDS.
Soon after graduation from Naples High School in 1958 and being crowned Miss Naples, she married
John Kelly, and they moved to New York City with their newborn son, Troy. Three years later, John
Kenneth was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. Christine divorced Johnny and later married Don Carpenter in
1966. Don adopted her two boys and together they had daughter Charisma, born in 1970.
While in Las Vegas for three decades she was at the heart of many social and philanthropic events. She
joined the Las Vegas Jockey Club where she was an avid tennis player. She was a member of the
sisterhood of Beta Sigma Phi, Toast Masters, and her charity of choice was the March of Dimes
dedicated to helping millions of babies and mothers survive and thrive no matter their age, socioeconomic
background, or demographics.
Christine continued her pageant competitions and held several state and international titles in beauty
well into her forties. Christine took great pride in self-improvement through reading and doing. She
believed pride in appearance and integrity of word were important ingredients for success. She’s
remembered most for her drive and passion to stand-up for what she believed in. When challenged, she
was prepared. Thanks to her involvement with Toast Masters, she honed her skills as a great debater.
Once she organized a picket line in protest at a universal pageant for not honoring the young titleists’
winnings. In the local paper she admonished the pageant for setting a poor example to children that
adults don’t have to keep their word. The children received their winnings.
After many years away, Christine returned to her roots in Naples, where she once frolicked in her youth
on the beautiful white beaches, fished off the historic Naples pier, and cleaned shrimp for extra money
to go to a show. She was together again with her large extended family. Later she reunited with former
classmate Robert Akers and love bloomed. They married in 2006 and remained married until her passing
last month. Robert and Christine built a beautiful life surrounded by family and their large friendship
group. Although Christine’s energy and passion for life remained, Robert’s sense of calm and humor
provided the stability and comfort she had long been missing. Their bond lives on.
Christine is survived by her adoring husband, Robert Akers and their pampered dog, Wicked; Her
children, Troy Carpenter, his wife Kim, their daughter Mackenzie and Christine’s great- grandson, Jaxx;
John Kenneth Carpenter, his daughter, Chrissy and Christine’s great-grandchildren, Dallas, Zayla, and
Olivia; Charisma Carpenter, her son, Donovan; John Akers, his daughter, Janelle; Erin, her husband,
Patrick Heffron, their children, Nathan and McKenna; Beth, her husband, Jeff Harrison and their son,
Parker.
Christine was very close to her nieces and nephews. Nicky’s surviving child, Tommy Darrel; Sylvia’s
children, Sharon married to Jeff Wilson, and their children Christi and Neil; Melanie Anne, her surviving
children, Stephanie, and Natasha; Rick’s daughter, Lindsey; Clint’s children, CW, Travis, his wife, April;
Ryan; Phil’s son, Dustin.
May the way Christine embraced her life be her living legacy among all who knew and loved her.
A private ceremony for family and close friends will be held at Hodges Funeral Home in Naples on
Saturday, October 29, 2022. For those who wish to send flowers you may send to Hodges.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hodgesfhatnaplesmg.com for the Akers family.
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