Obituary of Christine Louise Nystrom

Christine Louise Nystrom Iowa City, IA – Christine L. Nystrom, 69, formerly of Manhattan, New York, died December 22, 2010, at her home in Iowa City, after a 2-year courageous battle with cancer. She was born March 23, 1941, in Mt. Vernon, New York, to Ruth (Grether) Nystrom and Frederick Nystrom. She was a graduate of Mt. Vernon High School. She received a B.A. in Philosophy and English in 1962 from Washington Square College, New York University, and a M.A. in Language and Communication in 1966 from Teachers College, Columbia University. Christine then went on to earn a Ph. D. in 1973 at the School of Education, NYU. The Media Ecology Program at NYU was created in 1971, and Christine held the distinction of being one of the first to earn a Ph. D. in Media Ecology. She produced the first doctoral dissertation in the program that dealt with media ecology as a coherent theoretical framework and was considered a pioneer in this field. Christine taught and provided structure to the Media Ecology Program for 30 years, earning a reputation as a tough, demanding, occasionally intimidating professor who required perfection in her students’ work and writing, yet placed great importance on being a mentor and friend. Past graduate students recall her dedication to their studies and her service on many dissertation committees. One student and friend referred to her as “brilliant—a true and pure intellectual, but also a woman with an off-beat sense of humor and imagination.” She was a gifted writer and was the author of, or contributor to, many publications, anthologies, articles, and research reports. Chris loved New York City and lived in the same apartment in lower Manhattan for more than 30 years. She loved her neighborhood and would walk and shop in the area frequently, making stops for coffee, taking strolls through the Union Square farmer’s market, or window shopping in the areas surrounding her neighborhood. She expressed much happiness in March of 2010 when she and her niece spent an entire morning walking along the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, on a path she continually raved about. Chris was a devoted member and servant of St. George’s Church. Her service to God, her church and those less fortunate than herself were her biggest priorities. She was a loving and giving friend. Her best friends recall her passion for shopping and remember, with humor, marathon visits to a single store. Among her many talents were: hand writing beautiful letters, decorating, gardening, sewing, yoga, and most recently, crocheting and knitting. She was known to pay attention to the smallest of details with insistence that everything be done perfectly. She had great fashion sense and personal style. She was a magnificent host and cooked, baked & entertained with ease. She was a lover of books & poetry, and due to those passions, expressed herself with eloquence, wisdom, humor & grace. Even at the end of her life, she continued to make “to do” lists, and much to the surprise of her friends and family, exhibited much strength, courage, determination and dignity. Upon retiring in 2002, she traveled several times per year between New York to Iowa, California, and Colorado, to be closer to her family. While she was an essentially private person who enjoyed solitude, she relished in her family and doted on them dearly. She earned the nickname “Boo” after playing many, many games of peek-a-boo with her first great-niece Anne Christine when she was a baby. She was thought of as a “2nd mom” (and gramma) to her niece and her children, and will be greatly missed. Surviving are her brother, Peter Nystrom of Menlo Park, California; sister, Judith Denbow of Colorado Springs, Colorado; brother-in-law, Richard Newell of Iowa City, Iowa; nephew, Peter Newell of Iowa City, Iowa; niece, Jennifer (Jim) Eaton, great nieces, Anne Christine and Jane Elizabeth, and great nephew, Samuel James, all of Urbandale, Iowa, cousins Alayne (Gilbertsville, NY), Briana, Ethan, Matthew and Rachel Lyons and many friends and colleagues. She was preceded in death by her parents; her dear sister Ruthie Newell, her brother-in-law Gene Denbow, her aunt Grace & uncle Howard Braisted, and her aunt Elsie Grether. A memorial service and celebration of Chris’ life will be held January 17, at 11 a.m., at The Chapel at St. George’s Church at 7 Rutherford Place (E. 3rd Ave. between 16th & 17th Streets), lower Manhattan, New York. Memorials may be made to The Cancer Institute (NYU), The Smile Train, Heifer International, or Hospice of Central Iowa.