Mary Christine Greisen Boyer

Mary Christine (Greisen) Boyer, 66, of Ritzville died Friday, Aug. 8, in her home in Ritzville. She was born the third of nine children to John Hilger Greisen and Marie Antoinette Rice in Centralia on May 4, 1947. 



She graduated Saint Mary’s Academy in Toledo, Washington and Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. She is also thought to be the first woman stockbroker in the state of Washington.

She was employed by Merrill Lynch and Dean Ritter Reynolds. Christine lectured over a dozen times around the world on financial planning on the “Love Boat” and other cruise ships.

Christine met her future husband in January 1970 when she registered for one his business classes at Tacoma Community College.

She was what our family called an evangelical atheist and her purpose in registering for the class was to embarrass the instructor who was said to be a Christian and conservative. She went so far as to ask that he be fired.

Christine married Barry L. Boyer on October 7, 1978 in Tacoma, Washington.

Christine and Barry raised Hai “Seth” Pham for 10 years for his birth parents. Hai was born in South Vietnam and was known to all as “Our son on loan.”

Christine and Barry were asked by a family friend in 2001 to adopt eight-year-old twin girls located in an orphanage in Ukraine.

It was later found out the girls had a 10-year-old brother in the same orphanage. On August 18, 2003, Christine became the mother of three children.


Christine and Barry lived in Tacoma, Gig Harbor and Olalla until they moved to Ritzville in late 1998.

Christine had an office of Dean Witter Reynolds for several years until she retired to be a full time mother. 



Christine is survived by her husband Barry L. Boyer, son Pasha Zapara Boyer, daughters Anastasia Zapara Boyer and Katherine Zapara Boyer, grandsons Evan Clark Zapara Umlund and Bently Walker Loman, “son on loan” Hai (Seth) Pham and eight siblings and many nephews and nieces.

Burial was in the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake on Wednesday, August 13, 2014.

Please share your memories of Christine and sign her online guest register at http://www.carverfamilyfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements in care of Carver Family Funeral Home, Moses Lake, Washington.