Yvonne Hehir Christofferson OBITUARY

Yvonne Hehir Christofferson died peacefully in her Morgan Hill residence, surrounded by family, due to complications of pancreatic cancer. Yvonne graduated from Willow Glen High School in 1951. That same year, she was crowned Queen of the Santa Clara County Fair. She was married to Warren B. Hehir in 1952 until his death on 09-09-1974. On 08-16-1975, Yvonne married her second husband, Donald F. Christofferson, until his death on 06-29-2015. Yvonne is survived by her sister, Wanita Rautmann, half-sister Morningstar Wolf, and half-brother Emmett Wilent. She is also survived by her fourteen children: Michael, River, Mark, Jennifer, Kathleen, Bradley, Bruce, Gregory, Elizabeth, Barbara, Patrick, Deborah, Michelle, and Sean as well as her 19 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. Yvonne was blessed with beauty, grace, and a myriad of talents. Yvonne was an incredibly loving and kind woman who always greeted family, friends, and even newly met individuals with a warm smile and heartfelt hug. She demonstrated incredible faith in God and was a parishioner of the Church of Ascension for 45 years before moving to Morgan Hill where she attended St. Catherine’s Church of Alexandria. Like her mother Bessie and sister Wanita, Yvonne had a love for dancing and taught classical tap, ballet, and jazz to thousands of children and adults over her 40-year dancing career. As a dance teacher she joined Dance Masters of California in 1971 and led the organization as President from 1982 through 1984. In addition to her love for God, her ability to raise and care for so many children, and her skill of dancing, Yvonne was an amazing gardener. Whether in San Jose or Morgan Hill, she always spent time in the garden. The flowers, vegetables, and fruits she masterfully grew remain the envy of the neighborhood to this day. A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, July 11 at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Catherine’s Church of Alexandria, 17400 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.Yvonne requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital: www.donate.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org or to FamilyHouse Inc, San Francisco: [email protected]