Memorial Service for Christine Rowena Cummings. We will celebrate her life Saturday, March 14 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Hilda St. Patrick Episcopal Church (15224 52nd Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026). Please share information about the service with anyone who may wish to remember Christine. Please hold Christine’s children, Heather and Paul, and their families in your prayers.
Christine Rowena Cummings died Wednesday morning, March 11, at home. She was 76 years old.
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Christine Rowena Cummings was born on December 9, 1949 to Albert Willis Cummings and Rowena Ella (Booker) Cummings in Maine. She moved to San Diego, CA for her U.S. Border Patrol position, where she flew a helicopter, and also served as a Union President for many years. She used her Mandarin skills as a translator for the U.S. Border Patrol, once boarding a Chinese ship off the coast of San Diego to help with communications.
She graduated from East Coast Aero Tech with an Airframe & Powerplant license, and was an accomplished welder. She volunteered as a welder at the San Diego Aerospace Museum, and many of the pieces she worked on are still on exhibit. Christine also obtained a private pilot’s license, as well as a boat captain’s license. She lived in Taiwan for a period of time, where she learned Mandarin and lived in a Buddhist monastery.
Christine later moved to Seattle, WA, where she planned an annual Transgender Day of Remembrance event, volunteered for the National Nordic Museum, and she was an active member of the Seattle Men’s Leather Organization. She served on the Bishop’s Committee for St. Hilda St. Patrick Episcopal Church in Edmonds, as well as a greeter. She was famous for the enthusiasm she showed toward members and visitors alike; everyone knew they were welcome.
She was active in the LGBTQ+ communities in both San Diego and Seattle. She was well known for giving generously of her time, talents, and resources whenever the need arose. Christine passed from this life on March 11, 2026. Christine is survived by her two children, Heather Anne (Cummings) Roelke and Paul Albert Cummings, as well as her sister Terry (Cummings) Buchanan.