Obituary of Christina Marie Spengler

Life Reflections of Christina Marie (Gilliam) Spengler Ms. Christina Marie Spengler was born April 18, 1985 in Bay City, Michigan. She was the first born of her mother, Vera Gilliam. Tina (as she was affectionately known) graduated from Bay City Central High School and attended college at Central Michigan University. Tina was a Michigan resident her entire life and spent cherished family time in New Mexico, Virginia, and Florida with her aunt Maria Lighon. On October 18, 2021, Christina moved to her permanent residence in heaven with Father God and Jesus Christ, whom she accepted as Lord and Savior at an early age. Christina was a lover of life and remained young in heart. She was a loving mother, cherishing her three daughters above everything else. Tina was a quiet person with a silly streak and a strong independent spirit (some might term it stubborn). She was fiery and had a personality that was caring, kind, and protective. She loved cooking, learning, bonding with her daughters and her fur babies (dogs) Willow and Jaxx. One of her favorite hobbies was watching television. She loved investigative T.V. shows like The First 48 and Forensic Files. In her downtime, Tina enjoyed playing the online Township game with her aunt Maria Lighon. They would help each other advance in the game and communicated daily through Duo and phone calls. Christina loved to connect with her family, and often reminded her sisters to “Stay on their Ps and Qs". She experienced a profound and special bond with her grandmother Minnie. Christina's vivacious beauty and spirit will continue to be illuminated through her daughters, Kendra A. Gilliam and Cassidy R. Gilliam of Bay City, Michigan, Allasandra M. Gilliam of Wesley Chapel, FL; grandmother, Minnie M. Gilliam of Bay City Michigan; brothers, Alexander Gilliam (Holly) and Robert Gilliam of Bay City, Michigan; sisters, Tocquien M. Gilliam of Wesley Chapel, Florida and Keisha M. Gilliam of Bay City, Michigan; aunts, Maria (Kenneth) Lighon of Wesley Chapel, Florida, and Gwendolyn McKinley of Flint, Michigan; uncles; Malcolm (Detra) Hardwick, Devon (Chandra) Gilliam, Brandon Gilliam of Bay City, Michigan, Anthony Gilliam (Perliter) of Waldorf, Maryland, and Tyler L. Roberts of North Carolina; niece, Zariah Gilliam of Bay City, Michigan; nephews, Isaiah Gilliam, Silas Gilliam and Kingston Gilliam of Bay City, Michigan; and a host of cousins, relatives, and friends. Tina was preceded in death by her great-great-grandmother, Helen Ward; great-grandmother, Louise Hardwick; great-grandfather, Dave Hardwick; grandfather, James E. Gilliam Sr.; father, Brian McKinley; aunt, Hattie Holsing (Delores); uncles, James E. Gilliam Jr. and Charles E. Hardwick. The family would like to extend our gratitude to the doctors and nurses within the BMT Clinic, 10th Floor team and ICU teams at the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit, Michigan. A special Thank You to Halle and April for your heartfelt kindness and compassion during this journey. To all, we sincerely appreciate your kindness, compassion and prayers for Christina and our family. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider memorial contributions to Maria Lighon for Christina’s daughters. Cards, flowers or other expressions of sympathy can be sent directly to the family. To sign online guestbook, visit www.hyattewald.com