Christine Piekos-Patterson

Christine Anne Piekos Patterson was born September 8, 1949 in Springfield, MA to Benjamin (Ben) and Elizabeth (Betty) Piekos and raised with her older siblings Diana (Dee) and Ted (Tod) in Indian Orchard, MA. Chris graduated from Cathedral High School in Springfield.

Chris wished to go to nursing school right from High School but was encouraged to first get a college degree which she did at Emmanuel College. While there Chris made lifelong friends whom she loved dearly, the “Emmas”. She saw many of them frequently and regularly travelled with them in the US and beyond.

Chris did attend nursing school in the 80’s and was very proud of earning her R.N. and had a very successful career. It must have been “meant to be” as her first nursing job was at a psychiatric hospital where she met the love of her life, Mark. They always claimed they were on the right side of the desk but who knows?

Chris and Mark lived nearly 30 years in Merrimack, NH until they were persuaded by an Emmanuel friend to move to Cape Cod. Her then employer, Anthem Blue Cross of NH, allowed working from home so off she went living there over 12 years. Chris immediately became an active volunteer on the Thursday evening shift at The Family Pantry of Cape Cod where she became known as the “Dairy Queen”. On Wednesday mornings Chris would work the floor assisting customers, arranging items, and perhaps doing a bit of personal shopping at the Second Glance (2G) Thrift Shop. Inspired by a close and longtime friend George Morris, founder of the Pantry, Chris found great joy working at the Pantry and Second Glance.

Chrissi, as she was known to her dearest friends, loved to travel having been inoculated with the travel bug as a child. When most families would go to the beach for the day, the Piekos family went everywhere else including two World Fairs, two road trips to Florida, Colorado, California and Alaska from Indian Orchard.

When Tod moved to Australia that became a frequent destination. The journeys “Down Under” always included a week or two outside of Sydney. The south island of New Zealand, the Blue Mountains, houseboating on the Murray River, driving down the coast to Canberra, always with stops at wineries or pubs. More recently, January 2024, Chris and Mark spent almost six weeks there including traveling with Tod and family friend James for twelve days in Tasmania.

Chris treasured travelling with Mark, the “Emma's”, and family including trips to Europe, Taiwan, Caribbean cruises, all inclusives, river cruises and cruise ships in Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. Closer to home she traveled on two National Parks tours, road trips down the East Coast, Canada, Alaska again, too many places to name. Chris, Tod, and Dee would travel together somewhere in New England in a tradition known as the “Sipping Siblings”. Planned by Tod, they would disappear for a few days on his visits. Finding that she was 35% Irish incentivised her most recent travel to Ireland with college friends Cath and Mary only six weeks before she passed.

Chris is survived by her husband Mark, daughter Ida Fuoco, her husband Chris, and grandsons Brennan and Kelan, sister Dee Johnson, brother Tod Piekos and seven dear nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions may be sent to -

The Family Pantry of Cape Cod

Emmanuel College, The Eileen Smolak Mauck Scholarship

Visiting Nurses Association

Memorial gathering TBA