Puckel, Christine Elyse

Christine Elyse Puckel, 43, of Great Falls, a human 
resources manager for Easter Seals Goodwill, died of 
nonHodgkin's lymphoma Tuesday at her home.

A vigil service is 7 p.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Lawn 
Memorial Chapel, and funeral Mass is noon Monday at 
St. Ann's Cathedral. Schnider Funeral Home is handling 
arrangements.

Chris died Tuesday evening, April 6, 2010, surrounded 
by friends and family. She had been waging a valiant 
battle against nonHodgkin's lymphoma since October 
2009.

Chris was born March 16, 1967, in Urbana, Ill., and was 
raised in Springfield, Ill. She was a proud graduate of 
Sacred Heart Academy in Springfield and received her 
Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Illinois University. She 
received her Master of Business Administration with a 
focus in Human Resource Management from the 
University of Phoenix in 2006. 

Chris' philosophy was that her work should not be just a 
source of income, but that it must have meaning and 
provide a positive impact on the lives of others, and 
thus she devoted her professional life to working with 
adults with developmental disabilities. Toward that end, 
she began as a case manager and ultimately rose to the 
position of program director of developmental training 
at CCAR Industries in Charleston, Ill. While at CCAR, she 
fulfilled her vision by developing and implementing a 
new program serving the needs of adults with autism 
and other sensory integration issues; refining the senior 
and work day programs; and instituting a novel 
textbook recycling program in collaboration with the 
local university.

Chris also believed in giving back to her local 
community. She served on the board of directors for 
several service organizations that focused on meeting 
the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities 
and victims of domestic violence. These included Mid-
Illinois Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Camp New Hope, HOPE 
of East Central Illinois and Faith and Light Outreach.

In October 2008, she relocated to Great Falls to be near 
her sister and to become the human resources manager 
at Easter Seals-Goodwill. Although she was in the 
position only a short time before becoming ill, she 
wished us to let her friends there know that she enjoyed 
her work there and, most especially the people, 
tremendously.

In addition to her work, Chris loved animals and was 
grateful to recently adopt Bella Mae, her beloved kitten, 
who provided much comfort to her during the past 
several months. Chris also loved everything about 
Montana, Broadway musicals and was also a lifelong fan 
of the hapless Chicago Cubs. She also was very proud 
of her Irish heritage.

In October, after several months of unusual symptoms, 
Chris was transferred to the University of Utah for 
further workup. It was there that she was diagnosed with 
diffuse large B cell lymphoma and next found herself at 
Huntsman Cancer Hospital undergoing highly 
aggressive chemotherapy and radiation therapy in a 
battle she referred to as "Operation Kill-the-B**tard." She 
completed treatment in mid-March, and all signs pointed 
to a cure until two weeks ago, when she learned of a 
few aggressive and angry hangers-on. She returned to 
Great Falls on Saturday, April 3, and died in her own 
home, surrounded by family and friends, at peace with 
the world and confident that some greater good would 
come of her experience.

Chris said frequently that, despite her battle with cancer, 
the past several months had been the best of her life, 
and she reminded us all on numerous occasions of the 
good that had come of her experience. Through this all 
we learned that Chris was stronger than we had imagined 
and was most definitely the epitome of grace in even 
the most difficult of circumstances.

She wished all of the staff of Huntsman, especially Dr. 
Gilbert, Erin Evans, R.N., Saeed Peg, Laura, Lahta and 
Zahra; the wonderful nursing staff of the fourth floor; the 
staff of the Radiation Oncology Department; the staff of 
the Pain Clinic; and the kind ladies of the housekeeping 
staff; to know of her extreme gratitude for their 
expertise and, more importantly, their humane and 
loving care, day after day, no matter what the 
circumstances. She also wished for her new friends here 
in Great Falls to know how much she appreciated their 
love and support.

Chris is survived by her father, Paul (Dottie) Puckel of 
Springfield, Ill.; her brother, Greg (Darla) Puckel of 
Springfield; her sister, Susan (Vince) Luparell of Great 
Falls; her beloved nephew Brett; her stepnephew 
Vincent; and her best friend Brigid Leahy.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Roseann 
Gleeson Puckel; an uncle, William Gleeson; and both 
sets of grandparents.

In lieu of flowers, Chris requested donations to any of 
the following: CCAR Industries, 1530 Lincoln Ave., 
Charleston, IL 61920-3057; ESGW of Great Falls, 4400 
Central Ave., Great Falls, MT 59405; Huntsman Cancer 
Hospital, 2000 Circle of Hope, Salt Lake City, UT 84112; 
the Humane Society, P.O. Box 1774, Great Falls, MT 
59403; HOPE of East Central Illinois, 701 6th St., 
Charleston, IL 61920-2286; Planned Parenthood; or Big 
Brothers/Big Sisters. 

Condolences may be posted online at 
www.schniderfuneralhome.com and/or 
www.gftribune.com/obituaries.

Published in Great Falls Tribune on April 9, 2010