Christina Elizabeth Martin
My secrets stay between me and my service dog, and he only judges a little. For the ones who should have loved her better, especially I.K. "Tous les mêmes et y en a marre."
Christina Elizabeth Martin, born on February 27, 1998, in Anderson, South Carolina, died on June 23, 2026, in Chesapeake, Virginia, at 28 years old. Christina's life, marked by significant health challenges due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, was also marked by her resilience, perseverance, creativity, enthusiasm, and love. She deeply impacted all who knew her. She gave the best Christmas presents, and loved her friends and family and service dog, Kai, very well. The world is grayer without her.
A gifted entrepreneur, Christina created and operated her sole proprietor business, Caffeinated Squirrel Oddities, selling crystals, gems, minerals and related items, including custom-made dig kits and beautiful handmade dreamcatchers. Previously, she was a real estate agent for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Native American Group, Youth Director at Courthouse Community UMC, Director of Marketing for the Center for Entrepreneurship at Liberty University, and Marketing and Public Relations Intern and Sales and Fundraising Representative for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. In high school and college, she saved lives as a lifeguard at Triple R Ranch and the Virginia Beach YMCA, and was also a Customer Service Representative for Care-A-Lot pet supply. She was also an ordained marriage minister in the Universal Life Church for 6 years.
Christina loved fishing, especially for flounder, and going to the beach with friends. Christina expressed her creativity through her art, drawing and painting, sewing quilted projects, creating dice bags, and designing clothes. Although very ill, she was recently crafting chunky yarn blankets and an ABC watercolor print book for her beloved nephew, Calvin.
She excelled in her education. At Liberty University, she was on the Quiz Bowl Team and in the Honors Program, earning a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies in Business and Communication Studies with a focus on Digital Marketing in July 2020. She studied at Regent University from 2016 to 2018 in the Bachelor of Science in Marketing program, where she was Team Marketing Supervisor and Public Relations Manager for Enactus, Captain of the Swing Dance team, and participated in the Campus Ministries Apprenticeship Program.
As a homeschooled student, Christina performed in several plays at Homeschool Plus, participated in the Lit Club as a writer and editor, published a variety of articles, showed works in art shows, and worked in the lunchroom. She was a member of the Sea Scouts. She won multiple medals for her flower arranging and art at the Virginia State Fair. She babysat for multiple families.
Christina is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Wilson Orville and Gloria Sistine Reidinger; step-grandfather, John Joseph Sellman; paternal grandmother, Henrietta Sue Scott Lawrence; paternal step-grandfather, Gary Lawrence, and uncle, William James Reidinger. She is survived by her paternal grandfather, Hollis Leon Martin; loving parents, Patricia Ailene Reidinger Martin and Christopher Scott Martin; beloved sister, Susannah Ailene Lewis (Andrew); adored nephew, Calvin Sheldon Lewis; and her most loyal and loving service dog, Kai, who kept her safe and served her very well.
Christina's legacy of creativity, kindness, and perseverance will forever be cherished by her family, friends, and all those whose lives she touched. May she rest in peace, free of pain, surrounded by love and light.
The world Christina knew
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