Chris Magner Final Expenses

The world lost a bright light when Chris Magner lost her battle to cancer this January. She will be remembered for her strength, humor and loving kindness. Please help her family to honor her memory with a traditional funeral and memorial, bringing us together as she has always done.

While our Chris remained ever hopeful about life, she did not want to talk about death. It is our sincere belief that she would want a traditional Catholic burial with a casket and we intend to make this happen.

There will be a funeral mass at 11:30am on Friday, February 9th at St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor, MI. Family visitation will be at 11am. There will also be a celebration of life on Monday, February 12th at Krazy Jim's Blimpyburger in Ann Arbor from 4-7pm.

Christine Marie Magner

Christine “Chris” Marie Magner, 71, of Ann Arbor, Michigan passed away in her home on January 21, 2023. Chris was born to Lillian W. McTiernan and James J. McTiernan II on January 11, 1953, in Flint, MI where she spent her childhood. She graduated from Luke M. Powers High School in 1971 where she was a National Honor Society member. She then attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. It was there that she met Rich, her partner and best friend of 50 years and husband of 45 years. Together they built their life, raising 4 children and putting down deep community roots.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Richard Lee Magner, Her children; Emily Rose Magner, Richard Lee Magner II, Michael Patrick Magner, and Thomas Andrew Magner (Emily Matthews); Her sister, Gail (John) Burleson, and brothers James (Lynne) McTiernan and John McTiernan. In addition, she leaves behind many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Lillian and James.

Chris’ love of Kewpee burgers in Flint led her to seek a similar restaurant in Ann Arbor and she found a burger (and a man) she loved at Krazy Jim’s Blimpyburger where she worked while attending U of M. Two decades later, after working in other restaurants, cafes and nightclubs, she and Rich came full circle and became co-owners of Blimpy’s in 1993.

Reading was a favorite pastime of Chris’ as well as kicking back with Rich to watch a good TV show, especially a British mystery. She loved traveling and though she didn’t travel often, when she did, she did it well, making every moment count. She could always describe every trip in a detailed way that felt transportive. She knew how to make memories and to share them.

Chris was an avid gardener, always maintaining beautiful and productive home gardens, even if that garden had to be potted plants on a deck. Gardening was a hobby, but also a love language that she shared with fellow greenthumbs and the plant-curious alike. She was a Master Gardener who volunteered her knowledge and services in the community when she wasn’t running her own landscaping company, beautifying businesses with her colorful flower beds. In her final days, Chris was surrounded by plants that she had tended to for years.

Anywhere in or near the water was Chris’s happy place. She enjoyed swimming in the Great Lakes and spent many happy hours at Buhr pool, instilling this love of water in her four children. Even in her last year of life, she looked forward to visits at the pool with her friend, Cindy.

A naturalist at heart, Chris’ interest in the natural world led her to study at U of M’s School of Natural Resources when few women did. Her commitment to wildlife and the environment stayed with her throughout her life. It was not unusual for her home to have turtles that she rescued from the road healing up before she released them back to the wild. She volunteered with frog surveys, planted butterfly gardens and collected monarch caterpillars (and plenty of milkweed) to raise into butterflies. Her love of animals included her many dogs, cats and other critters that she treated like any family member- with fierce love and devotion.

A longtime member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, her Catholic faith was source of strength and informed her values. She was active throughout the years in teaching CCD and Sunday school when her children were young, later helping godchildren and nieces through their confirmations. She enjoyed participating in a faith group and book study at Ed and Cora Yee’s home.

Chris was a remarkably strong and resilient woman, overcoming obstacles in life with creativity and grace starting at an early age. As a teen, she struggled to find fashionable clothes that would fit due to severe scoliosis; a problem that she solved by designing and making her own (often sewing late into the night unbeknownst to her mother working the night shift). She repeatedly demonstrated this determination in the face of adversity, supporting her family through their tough times. And of course, recognizing and celebrating those hard-fought wins as well. Chris showed up for all of it.

Family was the central pillar of Chris’s life. She loved annual family vacations Up North and holiday celebrations, where her big smile and easy sense of humor (as well as her signature cookies) brightened any gathering.

Chris put family above all and there is nothing she wouldn’t do for them. Even in the face of her complicated and prolonged battle with cancer and heart failure, she inspired and rallied her family with her hope and determination to stay around as long as possible. She worked hard every day to get stronger. One of her last achievements was gaining the strength to come home from rehab, where she spent her remaining days with Rich, active until the very end.

She has left a hole in our lives, but she has shown us how to be strong in the face of tragedy and to embrace life fully, loving and supporting each other as she taught us to. She was a gift.