Christina Lee Frazier

Dr. Christina Lee Frazier of Saint Augustine, FL passed away on Friday, March 19, 2021. Christina was born in 1947 on April 2 in Elmira, NY, the daughter of John Frederick and Marian Elizabeth (Lee) Frazier. On October 4, 2015, she married Judith Johnson, her lifelong partner of 45 years. Christina graduated with a Doctoral degree in Virology and Epidemiology from Yale University in 1977. Her long and productive career as a research Biologist and Educator began as Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Quinnipiac College. In her pursuit to study mosquito born viruses, she continued her career at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) “the epicenter for mosquitoes,” where she served as Tenured Professor of Biology for over 35 years. She developed many class courses including Epidemiology, Issues in AIDS, Transforming the Female Experience, Pathogenic Microbiology, Immunology, Virology and more. Her dedication to research and education resulted in numerous publications, national and international speaking, and hundreds of community-based presentations. She was highly respected and sought after by colleagues, and as an advisor to graduate students in various medical professions. Dr. Frazier served as the Director of Assessment and Associate to the Provost for Assessment and Data Analysis. She was instrumental in building the grant-funded Southeast Missouri Arbovirus Lab in 1994, a statewide mosquito testing lab for insect-borne diseases under an agreement with the Missouri Department of Health to conduct mosquito surveillance. She continued her work in research and public health until her retirement from SEMO in 2014, as Professor Emerita. Chris was strong-minded, patient, compassionate, principled, and full of determination. She devoted herself fully to the academic success of her students and never missed a day of school. Her greatest joy was helping students prepare and succeed at their careers, and providing opportunities for “non-traditional” students who worked while raising children. She was a strong advocate for women’s equality and welcomed many opportunities for “teaching” in its many forms. Her work in the Athletics Department at SEMO involved developing equity and diversity plans that led to Title IX implementation. She received numerous citations, research and service awards for her extensive work and contributions including the University Faculty Merit Award and the Governor’s Award for Meritorious Teaching. She had many interests in her life. During her earlier years she acquired multiple certifications that allowed her to teach swimming, water safety, sailing, canoeing, and other water sports, mostly with the Red Cross and the Girl’s Scouts in Connecticut. Her heart was most at home in the mountains and on the lakes of Upstate New York. Camping, hiking and canoeing were favorites throughout her life, as was spending time at dog shows and obedience training with their beloved dogs over the years. She was generous of heart and spirit, and loved cooking and gathering friends and family to share a meal. Later in life she designed and built their retirement home in Saint Augustine, FL. Following retirement, she continued to teach webinars on behalf of SEMO. In addition, she served with the North Central Higher Learning Commission as an Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) reviewer; was active in training, hunting, showing and whelping Vizsla dogs; and participated in the tax aide program through the St. Augustine AARP. Besides her wife Judy, she is survived by beloved cousins, Louis and Nancy (Lee) Lichtenstein, Brian and Mary (Lee) Bettinger, John and Cathy (Shoemaker) Lee, Jeffrey and Jean Lee-Mosier, Jack and Pam (DeSantis) Lunman, Tom and JoAnn (Lunman) Eduardo, David and Kathy (Heaslip) Lunman, Nelson and Diane (Lunman) Bayron, Gene and Joan (Teed) Lunman, and numerous other cousins and family members of choice. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Mary Lee (Frazier) Hubbard; grandparents, Manford and Lulu (Martin) Lee; nephew, Peter Hubbard; uncles and aunts, Jack and Norma (Lee) Lunman, Howard and Lavona (Dewey) Lee; and cousin, Dan Dewey Lee. Memorial services in Upstate New York are pending. In memory of Chris, donations may be made to the Vizsla Club of America Welfare Foundation (https://vcaweb.org/), The Adirondacks Council (https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/), or Heifer International (https://www.heifer.org).

Christina Lee Frazier

April 2, 1947 - March 19, 2021