Christina Fish

Apr 29, 1949 -

Oct 6, 2025

Patricia Christina "Chris" Fish, 76, passed away peacefully on Oct. 6, 2025, in Middleton, Idaho; though her heart never left the Matanuska Valley in Alaska, where she spent most of her life. She was born in Findlay, Ohio, in 1949, to Robert and Margaret Rehus.

In 1960, her parents decided to have an adventure - Chris's words - and move to Alaska. They packed the kids up and headed to a homestead in the Matanuska Valley. No running water, no electricity, but Chris showed her innovative side and learned how to bake gooey brownies, which her family devoured with big spoons. She really did walk 2 ½ miles through the snow to the bus stop on Fishhook Road. Her sister remembers Chris holding her prom dress over her head while navigating the muddy road in rubber boots that weren't tall enough to keep the mud out.

She attended Palmer High School and was involved in many school activities, including yearbook, class treasurer, choir and basketball cheerleader. It was there that she met and started dating Steve Fish. The family knew he was serious when he bravely drove his car through the snow drifts to come to dinner.

They married in 1967, and in 1973 they took a chance and leased Fishers Y Grocery in Big Lake, Alaska. A few years later they opened their own grocery store, Steve's Foodboy, in a newly constructed mall. During the recession in the mid-80s, they had to close the store. Steve got a job managing a store in Emmonak, Alaska, a small fishing village. Chris said it was a good thing she had the homestead as a reference for the two years they lived there.

After returning to Palmer, Chris turned to her passion for sewing and bought Lil's Fabric and renamed it Just Sew. She was credited, in the Alaska Business magazine, for changing it into a bright and colorful fabric shop. Seeing another opportunity, they bought the Arctic Kwik Mart and renamed it the In and Out Deli in Palmer. After eight years they repurchased Steve's Foodboy grocery store in Big Lake.

Even after retiring in 2009, Chris continued living an incredibly busy and full life. She was a woman of strong faith and spent a large portion of her retirement involved in sharing that with others.

We ask all that knew her to take a moment to share the memories you had with her and smile. She was honored to have all of you in her life.

Chris is preceded in death by her husband, Steve Fish; parents, Robert and Margaret Rehus; and big brother, Barry Rehus. She is survived by her daughters, Michelle Broiles of Idaho, and Robin Fish of New York; grandson, Wyatt Broiles; three sisters, Becky Wallace of Idaho, Emily McMahon of California, and Amy Parsons of California.

A memorial will be announced at a later date.