Christine M. Bottomley

Christine M. Bottomley of Manchester, CT, was called home peacefully in her sleep in the morning hours of January 1st, 2025.
She was born in Gelsenkirchen-Buer-Hassel, Germany, the only daughter and youngest of five children of Vinzenz and Christine (Grueter) Sedlaczek. She lost her parents and two of her brothers, Theodor and Franz, to the war. Her youngest brother, Erich, lived his entire life in Germany, passing in his eighties.
Chris moved to the United States in 1952 moving in with an aunt. After six weeks she knew enough English to get a job, and enjoyed working as an elevator operator.
She met her husband, Robert Bottomley in 1958, and they were wed in a small ceremony in Gary, Indiana, on February 15th, 1963. They were married for 55 years until Robert's passing in 2018. They moved to Detroit, MI, and had their first child, Scott, in 1965. From there they moved to Parma, Ohio, and their second child, Barbara was born in 1966. Bob's work moved them to Spotswood, NJ, in 1968, and then to Manchester, CT, in 1974.
Christine kept the house and raised their children, and once the children were old enough to take care of themselves after school, she got a job as an office administrator at a local optician.
Over the years, Chris enjoyed family vacations with trips to most of the New England states, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Florida. She was able to return to Germany on a few occasions, the last of which was in 1987.
Chris was a devout member of St. Bridget Church, Manchester, CT. When she could no longer attend Mass in person, she would be sure to watch Masses on tv. Christine is survived by her two children and their spouses, Scott (and Gwen Bird) Bottomley of Chelmsford, MA, and Barbara (and Gene Turley) of Manchester, CT. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren, Alexander Bottomley, Mitchell Bottomley, Nicholas Bottomley, Elizabeth Turley, Sarah Turley and Katherine Turley as well as many loving friends. We are deeply grateful for Grace Quist, of CareGivers CT, who was Christine's caregiver and companion for the last five years.
Calling Hours will be on Thursday, January 9th, 2025, from 4pm - 6pm at Holmes Watkins Funeral Home, 400 Main St, Manchester CT. The Funeral Mass will be on Friday, January 10th, 2025, at 10am at St. Bridget Church, 80 Main St, Manchester, CT, followed by interment at St. Bridget Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital. To leave an online condolence please visit www.holmeswatkins.com