KRISTA RENEE HARDIE PAGE May 27, 1970 – Aug. 19, 2019
Krista Renee Hardie Page, 49, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family and friends on August 19, 2019 at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, VA.
A resident of McLean, VA, Krista is the mother of Sierra Page, wife of Randy Page (McLean, VA), sister of Beth Nañez (Albuquerque, NM), and daughter of Linda and Wayne Hardie (Los Alamos, NM).
On Saturday, December 28, at 1:00 pm there will be a Memorial Bench Dedication at the Russell Watanabe Soccer Field on Barranca Mesa (57 Loma Del Escolar) in Los Alamos followed by a celebration of Krista’s life from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the United Church of Los Alamos, Graves Hall (2525 Canyon Rd).
Previously there was a Celebration-of-Life on November 8 in Arlington, Virginia. Krista was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on November 13. Arrangements were handled by https://adamsgreen.funeraltechweb.com/tribute/details/10824/Krista-Page/obituary.html#content-start
Krista was born in Richland, Washington on May 27, 1970. She moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico with her family in 1979. After graduating from Los Alamos High School in 1988, she attended the University of New Mexico (UNM), graduating in 1992. She also spent a semester at the University of Delaware as part of UNM’s exchange program. She made many life-long friends at each school.
My romance with Krista started after meeting through mutual friends while attending UNM. We became friends and then a couple. I was instantly captured by her infectious smile that could light up the darkest room. She was vivacious, intelligent, and kind. The many friends she made over the years, I believe, were similarly attracted to these wonderful attributes.
After Krista completed her undergraduate degree, we got married in Krista’s hometown. Krista then joined me in Southern California and was welcomed with open arms into the Marine Corps’ family. While there, Krista developed what would become a deep and lasting affinity with Southern California and its lifestyle. Many of our friends remarked over the years that she was a really a California girl at heart.
After a couple years living in SoCal, we began our nomadic existence as a Marine family, embarking on the first of many cross-country journeys that would span over the course of twenty-six years between Southern California and Northern Virginia. The only exception was the two years we lived in Michigan where our beautiful daughter, Sierra, was born in 2007. Over those twenty-six years we joined new communities and made many new friends, many of which now we consider and love as family.
In addition to being a wonderful mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend, Krista was an amazing career woman who was fortunate to work at two great companies—Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and Leidos. While a student at UNM she also worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory during the summers. She quickly made her colleagues her friends and brought her energetic spirit to the office. Krista was very proud of her career accomplishments.
Though facing many health challenges over the years she remained a bright and positive light. We want to give a special thanks to Dr. Mary Vance from the University of Virginia hospital. In 2009 after many years of misdiagnoses and chronic pain, Dr. Vance diagnosed Krista with a pituitary adenoma tumor that eventually contributed to the loss of Krista’s life. Dr. Vance’s diagnosis led to her treatment that gave Krista and me ten wonderful years in which we were able to love and raise Sierra. Throughout those ten years Dr. Vance was Krista’s guardian angel and source of constant reassurance…it was a unique relationship. Over the last year and a half as Krista’s health declined, Dr. Vance remotely monitored Krista’s situation and treatments by physicians in Northern Virginia — frequently calling after doctor’s appointments and during Krista’s hospital stays.
Despite the loss of Krista from this earthly plain, she is still with us in spirit and in our memories. She left an indelible mark on our hearts with her smile, energy, warmth, and the love she shared with us. Anyone who was touched by Krista knows that she would want us to live happy lives filled with adventure, kindness, and love. She would tell us to cherish our life and the blessings of the friends and family around us. Nevertheless, her passing has left a permanent hole in our hearts.
