Christine Niekamp

Christine Niekamp of Waco, Texas, passed away Sunday, May 17, 2020. Graveside services will be 11:00 a.m., Friday, May 22, at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation will be 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Thursday, May 21, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Christine was born in Waco on April 10, 1931, to Virgil and Helen Perdichi. A born artist, she constantly drew pictures and even made her own paper dolls before she started school. She was raised in Waco and attended Sacred Heart Academy and Waco High School. Before graduating high school in 1949, a painting she completed in one day of a black cat on a porch won Best Painting in the state UIL competition and was selected as one of 400 displayed at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh. While attending Baylor University under the mentorship of Frederic Mizen, she held a job in the advertising department at Cox's which followed her passion. She loved to draw the newest fashions on beautiful models created from her imagination. She graduated from Baylor in 1957 and in August of 1958, she married Raymond Niekamp and was a dedicated wife until his passing in 2013. While raising their four children, she continued her art/advertising career with many locally owned department stores, including Monnig's, Lewis Shoes, Goldstein's, Holt's, and sometimes Career Girl. Christine was a loving mother and grandmother who taught her children to respect others and instilled an appreciation of history and a love of art, music, and classic movies. She retired from Olan Mills after working twelve years in the photo retouching department. In her spare time, she painted beautiful portraits of family members, landscapes, animals, etc., as well as created and painted animal rock sculptures. She enjoyed entering her work in the HOT Fair and Rodeo and won many awards including Best in Show twice. Up until the end, she never stopped drawing or writing in her journals. She was a proud and active member of the Art Guild of Central Texas and many of her paintings are displayed on their website. Aside from her artwork, she was an animal lover and always had a cat or two around for company. Christine was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Raymond; parents, Virgil and Helen Perdichi; and sisters, Angela Vanston and Mary Virginia Perdichi Keller. Survivors include daughter, Ann Darr and husband, Frank, of Round Rock; sons, John Niekamp of Cedar Park and Virgil Niekamp of Ft. Worth; and daughter, Cathy Niekamp of Waco; grandchildren, Kristen Niekamp, Ryan Niekamp, Kari Darr, and Lori Darr; brother, John Perdichi of Waco; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the nurses and staff of Providence CHF Clinic, Wesley Woods Nursing Home and Providence Hospice for their care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorials to The Art Guild of Central Texas, P.O. Box 23994, Waco TX 76702. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www. WHBfamily.com.