Photo taken in San Francisco February 2010. Christine Margaret Sykes - 27 July 1938 – 2 April 2022 Below is the obituary, put together by friends here in Fort Collins sent by Jane Basile Christine Margaret Sykes passed away, as she wanted to, at home in Fort Collins, Colorado. She was born on 27 July 1938 in Spondon, Derbyshire, UK to Olga and Reginald Sykes just before the start of World War II. Chris was an only child and spent much of her childhood in an air-raid shelter since Spondon was on the path that German bombers traveled after they had bombed various industrial cities in the UK.
Chris started her education at St. Werburgh’s Infant School in Spondon at age 5. The war was ongoing and she, like the other children, was issued a gas mask to carry at all times. There was strict rationing of food (and other items) and Chris didn’t have her first ice cream until she was 7. Chris continued her education at Long Eaton Grammar School, then received a medical lab technology diploma from Derby & District College of Arts & Technology. Her first job was in the Pathology Department of the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. At 21, she decided it was time to leave home and moved to Cambridge, eventually working in the lab of a renowned insect physiologist at the University of Cambridge.
In September 1961 she moved to the US and took a job as an au pair, but shortly realized (not to the surprise of those who knew her well later in life!) that spending 24 hours a day with children was not for her. During that time, she did, however, meet her future husband George Happ, and with his encouragement took a job at Cornell University in the Pathology Department. In June 1963 Chris and George were married. She worked in George’s labs at Catholic University in DC, New York University in the Bronx and finally Colorado State University in Fort Collins. In October 1973 she became a naturalized US citizen, although she still spoke fondly of “her Queen” and always favored British English and proper grammar as she was taught. After getting divorced in January 1978, Chris transferred to the Physiology Department at CSU, assisting research on Blue Tongue Fever and later embryo transfer in cattle reproduction.
It was in October 1983 that Chris accepted a job at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins where she had a long career, retiring in 2006. She supported a wide range of research in both virology and bacteriology and enjoyed data management. Chris was skilled at virus isolation from mosquitoes and spirochete isolation from ticks. She did diagnostic testing of both human serum and infection-transmitting arthropods. She found work on the question of whether mosquitoes or bedbugs can transmit HIV (they can’t!) particularly rewarding.
Chris was a devoted animal lover and a strong supporter of animal-related charities. Many will remember Griffith, her Corgi, and the succession of beloved cats adopted from the animal shelter (Pipper, Tigger, Tigger Too, Daphne, and Mags). She loved sitting in her chair looking out at the birds visiting the feeders in her back garden, reading British detective stories, knitting and playing poker (with unabashed glee when she won). Chris enjoyed cooking, so much so that when she remodeled her kitchen, she had the counters lowered a good 6-8 inches to accommodate her short stature.
She is survived by her beloved cat Mags, friends around the world, and a few relatives in the UK. Although Chris requested that a memorial service not be held, friends may remember her by contributing to an animal welfare or conservation organization
Christine Margaret Sykes -
27 July 1938 – 2 April 2022
Below is the obituary, put together by friends here in Fort Collins sent by Jane Basile
Christine Margaret Sykes passed away, as she wanted to, at home in Fort Collins, Colorado. She was born on 27 July 1938 in Spondon, Derbyshire, UK to Olga and Reginald Sykes just before the start of World War II. Chris was an only child and spent much of her childhood in an air-raid shelter since Spondon was on the path that German bombers traveled after they had bombed various industrial cities in the UK.
Chris started her education at St. Werburgh’s Infant School in Spondon at age 5. The war was ongoing and she, like the other children, was issued a gas mask to carry at all times. There was strict rationing of food (and other items) and Chris didn’t have her first ice cream until she was 7. Chris continued her education at Long Eaton Grammar School, then received a medical lab technology diploma from Derby & District College of Arts & Technology. Her first job was in the Pathology Department of the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. At 21, she decided it was time to leave home and moved to Cambridge, eventually working in the lab of a renowned insect physiologist at the University of Cambridge.
In September 1961 she moved to the US and took a job as an au pair, but shortly realized (not to the surprise of those who knew her well later in life!) that spending 24 hours a day with children was not for her. During that time, she did, however, meet her future husband George Happ, and with his encouragement took a job at Cornell University in the Pathology Department. In June 1963 Chris and George were married. She worked in George’s labs at Catholic University in DC, New York University in the Bronx and finally Colorado State University in Fort Collins. In October 1973 she became a naturalized US citizen, although she still spoke fondly of “her Queen” and always favored British English and proper grammar as she was taught. After getting divorced in January 1978, Chris transferred to the Physiology Department at CSU, assisting research on Blue Tongue Fever and later embryo transfer in cattle reproduction.
It was in October 1983 that Chris accepted a job at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins where she had a long career, retiring in 2006. She supported a wide range of research in both virology and bacteriology and enjoyed data management. Chris was skilled at virus isolation from mosquitoes and spirochete isolation from ticks. She did diagnostic testing of both human serum and infection-transmitting arthropods. She found work on the question of whether mosquitoes or bedbugs can transmit HIV (they can’t!) particularly rewarding.
Chris was a devoted animal lover and a strong supporter of animal-related charities. Many will remember Griffith, her Corgi, and the succession of beloved cats adopted from the animal shelter (Pipper, Tigger, Tigger Too, Daphne, and Mags). She loved sitting in her chair looking out at the birds visiting the feeders in her back garden, reading British detective stories, knitting and playing poker (with unabashed glee when she won). Chris enjoyed cooking, so much so that when she remodeled her kitchen, she had the counters lowered a good 6-8 inches to accommodate her short stature.
She is survived by her beloved cat Mags, friends around the world, and a few relatives in the UK. Although Chris requested that a memorial service not be held, friends may remember her by contributing to an animal welfare or conservation organization