Christina La Hiff

Christina La Hiff May 22, 1920 - February 3, 2022 In Memory of Christina Hutton La Hiff of Newport, Oregon resident Christina Hutton La Hiff was born 22 May 1920, in Clydebank Dunbartonshire, Scotland as the first child of Daniel Hutton and Mary McGregor Melvin. She was known as Chrissie to all who knew and loved her. As a young woman she worked in the Singer Sewing Machine Co and as a nurse in Scotland. She married James Blair Blackwood and 6 months after their marriage he was killed as a WW2 pilot flying over Germany. She witnessed the bombing of her town of Clydebank by the Nazis where over 1200 people died and 1000 seriously injured. Later she witnessed the bombing of London. She could describe in detail how awful this destruction was. She married John Kerrison Birks in Preston, Lancashire, England in 1941. They had a son named Rodney Kerrison. Her husband John was a film director and helped to make the films " Macbeth"," Lawrence of Arabia" and was killed in an auto accident while filming "The Bridge Over the River Kwai" He had moved his wife and son to Florida and they were left alone in a foreign land when they heard of his death. Christina met and married Louis Edward La Hiff in 1960 and lived in Tennessee where they owned a Hallmark store. He passed away in 1992. Chrissie was active in singing, dancing and theater. Her mind was very good to the end and she could sing and quote poetry at length. She loved singing with the Sweet Adeline's here in Newport and loved leading the music for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her son Rodney passed away in 2016 leaving her alone with no other living family but she was surrounded by many friends and neighbors who really cared and helped her. She was well known in the community, often seen walking the isles of Fred Meyers for exercise. At 95 she still went to Curves and kept up with many younger members in Zumba classes. At 101 she was still able to go up and down the stairs of her apartment building shopping for groceries. At 101 she could still lift her leg above her head. She used to often say, "Oh, if I could just be 90 again.. " For her 100th birthday a parade of 30 cars led by three police cars surprised her going by her apartment with sirens blowing as she sat and waved from her parking spot. It was a real wonderful surprise for her. She said, "Things happen in life that we don't plan. I experienced the death of a son and three husbands. I lived through bombings in Clydebank and London. We don't get to choose what will happen to us in this life, but we can choose how to react to it. We just do the best we can do and try to be positive."

Tributes

Christina La Hiff

May 22, 1920 - February 3, 2022