Christine Whidden Akers

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.