Christie Joan O'Loughlin

Christie was born to Joseph W. O’Loughlin and Dorothy (Cohen) O’Loughlin in Winthrop, Massachusetts, near Boston.   She graduated from Smith College in Northampton, MA, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in History (Asian Studies) and Literature.  She moved to Seattle in 1965 to attend graduate school at the University of Washington, completing a Master’s Degree in Education.  She also attended the Far Eastern Institute at UW studying Chinese language and history, earning another Master’s. 

Christie worked for 30 years for the state of Washington as a caseworker, probation and parole officer, prison administrator, performance auditor and audit manager, internal auditor, and policy assistant to the Director of the Dept. of Agriculture.  She also was very active with the Nisqually chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors, serving as chapter president multiple times, regional representative for several Western states, and also worked at the national and international levels of the IIA.   

She ran Cooking with Christie, a recreational cooking school and catering business, between 1990 and 2003.  Christie retired from state service in 1999, and opened her consulting firm, Christie O'Loughlin & Associates, in 2000, which specialized in quality management services for government audit organizations nationwide. Along the way, she also worked in editorial and book publishing, and spent two years on the faculty at Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA. 

Christie was preceded in death by her parents as well as her much loved cousin, Rita O’Loughlin. Her lifelong devotion to her mother’s care no doubt was a major part of Dorothy’s longevity, as she lived to be 107. 

Christie adored travel and visited, among other places, Hong Kong, Macau, Guam, China, Hawaii, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, Alaska (five times) by solo RV and cruise ship, the US East Coast, and most of the western national parks with her mother in the back seat of her van. She also studied in France and wandered Europe and North Africa in her younger days and had stories about three near plane crashes from her travels. After spending the first two-plus decades of her life using public transportation, she taught herself how to drive a car on her cross-country trip to relocate to Seattle and the UW. 

Please join her friends to celebrate her life (and her birthday!) at the Tugboat Annie’s banquet room at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 12. In her later years, Tugboat Annie’s sunny upstairs deck was a frequent spot for celebrating her July birthday. To honor Christie’s lifelong devotion to sharing hospitality, please join us for hosted snacks and soft beverages catered by Tugboat Annie’s.  It feels appropriate to remember her and send her off from a spot she loved.  

Christie fought valiantly against many health challenges, especially over the last five years of her life.  She cycled repeatedly among home, hospital, and nursing facility. Throughout it all, she maintained her optimism and good nature. This was made possible through a large coalition of neighbors, friends, her professional in-home aides, especially Kelsey and Regina, and the staff at Puget Sound Health Care.  Her closest friends wish to sincerely thank all those who were part of the team on her behalf.

Memorial Donations: 

Thurston County Food Bank 

PO Box 11549    Olympia, WA 98508-1549