August 1945 – September 27, 2026
The latest photo I have of Christina is one taken on her 81st birthday when we visited her in Bali. Those around the table are myself, Christina, Krishnan Sinnaiah who accompanied me to Bali, her son Matthew and his wife Kumi.
Dear Colleagues,
Christina Welty passed away in her sleep on Sunday, Sept 27, according to her son Matthew. I saw her last in June when Krishnan and I visited Bali to celebrate her 81st birthday with Matthew and his wife Kumi.
I first met Christina and her late husband Don Clark in the 1970s in KL before their assignment to Singapore. They served later as Area priors in Tokyo. After she left the ICA, Christina continued facilitation work with the Japanese business community, including women leaders. Later, she set up home in Bali and was a part of the circle of ICA colleagues in Malaysia, Singapore and the region.
Her health deteriorated when ALS began affecting her throat muscles and respiration. In the last couple of years, she had difficulty speaking and had to switch to the keyboard. But her mind stayed clear and sharp. She knew her time was limited. As she said to me, she enjoyed observing Matthew during his visits and she was keen to be present to what was happening as the end approached.
~~ V. Dharmalingam
Dear Friends, I was in Japan as part of the ICA International Development gathering and Christina gave us an amazing presentation to prepare us for home stays. She was so insightful and helpful- when and what slippers to wear ( never wear bathroom slippers except in the bathroom), how to handle the bath tubes, etc. Christina was articulate and got quickly to the keys. Loved it and still talk about her orientation. Hard to believe ICA did not do it for all cultures. Thanks, Christina
~~ Dick Alton
In 1969, on the West Side, Christina gave a presentation on RS-1 pedagogy in which she shared how she had designed her room in a way similar to the Short Course, attending intentionally to liturgical east, west, north, and south. I remember her as a human being of deep intentionality, great generosity of heart, profound reflectiveness, intense curiosity of spirit, and a remarkable capacity for forgiveness.
~~ Don Bushman
I can be wrong, but I remember her for the song, “Winds of Change” .🙏💓🙏
~~ Judi White
I was with the Religious House in Houston, TX, when we returned to the states after nearly 10 years in Latin America at the beginning of 1994. Christina and Don were Priors of the Houston House. Others in the House were Sherwood Shankland, Kathleen and her husband who was in a wheelchair, Sunny Walker, and I can’t remember right now who else. In the cadre were the Johnsons, and several others, including myself and my husband, George, and our children Geordy and Dirk. When the Houston House burned, several people (Christina, heavily pregnant with Matthew, and Don; The Shanklands, etc.) came in turns to stay at our house. In fact Christina left from there to have Matthew.
I saw Christina in Japan when I was living in Croatia and head of the ICA in Croatia and Bosnia. Shizuyo Sato was head of ICA International and had been head of our team of five that was a contingent to the Women’s Conference in Beijing and the Shadow Conference in Huai Roo about a month before hand. We later “reconvened” in Japan for a development conference, I remember riding in the bus next to the late __ Rose (can’t remember his first name, but he was in Venezuela with the ITI which we with the Bunkers facilitated). Anyway, I remember Christina giving us all a cultural workshop to prepare us for our home stays—her explanation and description of the Japanese bath and it’s intricacies was a bit startling!
Later she came to the workshop I led in Huai Roo. I remember she claimed I was a purist, when I was complaining a bit about the lack of attention and chatter of some in the workshop. I loved Christina—she always brought me back to earth. I appreciated her being there at the workshop. We were in competition with Hilary Clinton and Gloria Steinhem (they had presentations in both of our time slots, but somehow we had standing room only in our workshops).
~~ Susan Fertig-Dykes
I first met Tina Welty at 3444 in the spring of ’68. She had broken her foot and was in a cast with crutches. I remember her then as resolute and bright. I admired her. She was an utterly reliable colleague and friend. When next we met, it was in the Houston House in ’74? as Christina Clarke, resolute, bright, a wife and a mother. Intense, direct conversations were our forté. We kept in touch. We shared advice and support at times of divorce, hers in ’84 and mine in ‘21. In 2011, with Facebook, we began regular conversations mainly in June and September at the time of our birthdays. I recall Kiku her dog. We shared updates on Matthew & Kumi and my offspring. I will miss our friendship deeply.
Christina – such an inspiration and a wonderful woman to look up to. I remember her telling me one time that marriage calls you two squat two by two, but god calls you to walk one by one. A wise sharing. I wanna turn on, dear Christina.
~~ Sunny Walker
I worked with Don and Christina in Chicago and when we opened the Asherton project; both real and serious people.
~~ Bill Schlesinger