Obituary of Christa Eckhardt

A light and joy to all who knew her Christa Eckhardt was born in Springville, NY outside Buffalo January 3, 1948 to Lawrence and Erika Eckhardt and was the youngest of four children. She attended Eden Central High School, class of 1966 and graduated from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque in 1973. She became acquainted with the island of Puerto Rico in 1968 while visiting her brother who was then stationed as an officer in the Navy at the base in San Juan. The idea of getting away from the cold Buffalo winters was appealing, so after college Christa jumped at the opportunity to move to Puerto Rico to work in a NIH research lab. Being indoors was not her thing so she took a job as crew on a Norwegian hydrofoil running passengers between San Juan, Fajardo and St. Thomas V.I.. She went on to get her commercial captains license (possibly the first woman in the Caribbean to do so) and used it to take tourists of the El Conquistador hotel resort out for day sail and snorkel on a catamaran. For several years she enjoyed house sitting a bank owned cliff side property with pool overlooking the resort. She was instantly popular and the perennial pursuit of hopeful suitors from the US Coast Guard station and US Navy Base at Roosevelt Roads during the 1970s and 1980s. These friends would visit her with fly byes by jet and helicopter when not pool side. Alas, while she was tempted to give her heart to a few, she led an independent life devoted to creatures of all kinds, but especially dogs and cats. She used the swimming pool to raise some endangered baby sea turtles for safe release, had a pet skunk named "Back Fire" and rescued countless animals from the cruelty of the streets. Christa was fond of photography and writing. She put these skills to good use as a frequent contributor to "Que Pasa" Puerto Rico tourism magazine for many years. For over three decades she worked as first mate, then captain, marketing and business manager for the catamarans “Barefoot” and then "Spread Eagle"; a pioneering tourist attraction, sailing out of the marina at Fajardo, Puerto Rico. She was the "straight man" to the salty captain Jack Becker's rye wit as they sailed and entertained vacationing guests. The two had a long personal partnership in the business and later when she nursed him in declining health. She died too soon, April 5, 2014. Survived by her mother Erika Eckhardt (d. May 1, 2014), older siblings, Carol Knight, Roger Eckhardt and Margaret Pedersen, nephew Eric Knight, niece Marla Pedersen Biskner Brazil and nephew Fr. Gregg Pedersen, grand nieces Sarah and Emily Biskner, close friends Jack Becker (d. April 22, 2014), Eduardo Cardona (‘Delta Eddie’) and two dogs. The family requests that people perform an act of kindness in Christa’s memory in lieu of flowers.