Christina Leigh Harris (formerly Thurston)

Christina Leigh Harris (formerly Thurston), of Manchester, Vermont, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from cardiac arrest on August 7, 2026, at the age of 77. Her passing leaves a deep loss for her family and friends.
Christina was born on December 22, 1948, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, to Friede and Howard Harris, the first of three daughters. She grew up in Bloomfield, NJ with her parents and two younger sisters Dorian and Andrea and extended family. Chris attended Bloomfield High School and Douglas College, majoring in English and Art History. After graduating, in June of 1970, she married Stephen Thurston. In their early married years, the two traveled and lived abroad and Christina developed a lifelong love of learning about other cultures and ways of living in the world. She carried her love of French cuisine back home and infused her family’s meals with recipes she learned in the French countryside.

Christina and Stephen settled in southern Vermont, first in Winhall and then, in 1978, in Manchester, where Christina would spend the rest of her life. Above all else, she loved being a mother, and she poured everything into raising her son, Eben and her daughter, Amelie. While raising her children, she became a devoted advocate and mentor for parents of children with learning disabilities, never missed a single sports game for either of her kids, and gave unconditional love without limit. Christina’s kitchen fed countless children over the years, and her impact reached far beyond her own family into the wide circle of her children’s friends. Christina’s home was a safe space built on acceptance and support. Her home also served as the gathering place for her extended family, as she hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas year after year and delighted in watching the family grow as grandchildren, nieces and grandnieces were born.

Alongside raising her children, Christina and Stephen owned a contracting business in Manchester for nearly 30 years, building many beautiful homes throughout the area. Christina was a meticulously organized and talented office manager, and she was the backbone of the family business.

Christina’s curiosity and creativity extended far beyond her work. In the 1980s, she helped open Designers Outlet in Manchester alongside two of her closest friends, Ruth and Pam. She loved antiquing throughout Vermont and had an extraordinary eye for quality and beauty. Christina was also a talented potter and weaver, working at her own loom, and she made beautiful hooked rugs by hand. She was a collector of wonderous things, and her home became a series of thoughtfully curated spaces that reflected her deeply artistic, spiritual, and intentional nature. She also loved to garden, her favorite flower was the pansy, her favorite bird the crow, and she always loved that her home was surrounded by birch trees.

In the years that followed her divorce in 2012, Christina blossomed into the fullest version of herself. She leaned into Buddhist philosophy, meticulously restored the home she loved, and devoted herself to her community, friends, her children, and their families. Chris was an avid reader, her home filled with books and she was knowledgeable on pretty much any subject. She loved learning and understanding. She had a great sense of humor and one of her favorite things was to sit around the kitchen table with family, filling the house with laughter. Although agnostic in her adulthood, she always held a deep love for religious art and memorabilia; later in life, her embrace of Buddhism brought her great peace and acceptance.

Christina was endlessly knowledgeable and curious — well-informed on nearly every subject, deeply health-conscious, and a font of knowledge on home building and restoration. She was passionate about politics and social justice; she cared deeply about equity and human rights. She also served as a Guardian ad Litem in the Bennington County court system, advocating for children in need.

Christina is survived by her children, Eben Thurston (Jennifer Pagoto) and Amelie Thurston; her three grandchildren, Anabelle, Afia, and August; her sisters, Dorian and Andrea and her three nieces, Hadley, Kendall, and Sofia. Christina found deep joy and happiness in spending time with her family and is deeply missed.