Christina Lyn deBettencourt Souza died in Orange, N.H. on July 20 after a 13-year battle with metastic breast cancer. She was 53.

She was born on Christmas Day, 1968. She grew up in Quincy and Oak Bluffs and was educated in the Quincy public school system. She was a bright, engaging, and happy child who made people smile. 

After graduating from Smith College in 1990, she continued her education at Harvard University’s department of landscape architecture, where she earned a postgraduate degree in Landscape Design and Site Engineering. 

Her greatest passion was her husband Billy, who made her too-short life so happy. They were married three times: on July 7, 2001 in South Paris, Me., in the fall of 2007; in a religious ceremony at St. Patrick’s in New Castle, Me.; and they renewed their vows as part of a special trip to Israel in 2019. 

Christy and Billy lived in Maine and moved to Orange in late 2011. She was a self-employed business owner working in gardening, landscaping and farming. Both Lacewings Beneficial Gardening, LLC and Earthscapes, LLC in Maine and Cross Water Farm, LLC in New Hampshire are to her credit. She also volunteered for Meals On Wheels, the Pregnancy Center of the Upper Valley and High Horses Therapeutic Riding, to name a few causes.

She was an enthusiastic traveler and had no equal when it came to research and planning. Traveling with family and friends, she could be relied upon to be a knowledgeable tour guide. From 2015 to 2021, she worked down a bucket list of places to visit. Among the many domestic travels, there were two cross-country camping trips to Washington state and Arizona. National and state parks were her focus along the way. She and her husband also enjoyed traveling abroad to Italy, Portugal, Aruba, Spain, Puerto Rico, Jordan, Israel, and Jamaica. 

Her family is deeply grateful for the professional, compassionate and life-extending care that sustained her during years of struggle. Support teams in oncology, neurosurgery, and palliative medicine, as well as Home Hospice Care, maintained a focus on the quality of life that was important to her.  

She is survived by her husband, Billy Souza, and his family; her parents, David deBettencourt and Sheila Glas deBettencourt; her sister Angie Buxton and brother, Danny deBettencourt; stepchildren Bianca Souza and Vincent Souza; aunts Deborah Ratcliff, Katherine Tiernan and Judy Powell; and her nieces Aquinnah and Azalea. She is also survived by her friends Jessica, Molly and Katie from Smith; Robin, Kim and Deb from the Upper Valley; and Lillian from Martha’s Vineyard.

Visiting hours will be held at Ricker Funeral Home in Lebanon, N.H. on July 31 from 4 to 6 p.m. Her funeral will be held at Sacred Heart, also in Lebanon, at 11 a.m. on August 1. A reception will follow at Cross Water Farm in Orange, N.H. at 2 p.m. She will be interred privately.

Memorial donations can be made to the Pregnancy Center of the Upper Valley, 1 Main Street, Suite 2, West Lebanon, NH 03784.

Please visit the online guestbook at rickerfuneralhome.com.