Mary “Christine” Hanley, 59, a Pulitzer Award-Winning Journalist and Federal Investigator of Boise, Idaho, passed away on April 25th in Dana Point California after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer. Her fight ended after one last 8-week cure-seeking road trip that brought her home to the sea, sand, and friends she so loved. She passed peacefully, gazing out upon the ocean, her dog “Handsome” Jack by her side, surrounded by loved ones.

Born on December 1st, 1966, in New York, NY, Christine, a.k.a. “Fatso”, was the daughter of Carol Volpe Hanley, of Boise, and the late Rowland Patrick Hanley Sr. She began her schooling at Santa Maria in the Bronx before her family moved to New Fairfield CT after the passing of her older sister Irene from leukemia.

She enjoyed an active childhood on Ball Pond – beating everyone in everything: Nerf football, whiffle ball, pickle, and games of Around the World. She excelled academically and was a leader and all-around badass in field hockey and softball - but basketball was her true love. She was a point guard and early cornerstone of a HS program that would eventually produce an NCAA champion. A relentless competitor, she was quick to remind you that the ball the girls played with at the time was the same size as the boys!

She was a “walk-on” tryout at University of Connecticut in 1984 – Geno Auriemma’s first. She turned down a spot on the practice squad upon learning she would need to give up the work-study job that helped pay her tuition. A communications major, she interned – and then worked – for WFSB in Hartford. She fondly told how Gail King – along with Denise D'Ascenzo and Don Lark – pitched in the final few thousand dollars she needed for her American Cancer Society bike trip across the country. Initially inspired by her Uncle Arthur, she rode in memory of her sister.

So began a 23-year career in journalism. First with the Associated Press where she was a Sports and News Editor in CT, a correspondent in Central California, and a Reporter and Editor in San Francisco. She moved to the Los Angeles Times, covering the coastal cities before focusing on Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement – and was part of team that won a Pulitzer for their coverage of the 2004 L.A. wildfires.

Christine’s superpower was that people wanted to talk to her. Her small stature, warm smile, and a voice seemingly weathered by a wisdom beyond her years – inspired trust the moment you met her. Athletes confided in her in ways they rarely did with reporters. Fuzzy Zoeler invited her to walk 18 holes with him and Payne Stewart; Greg Norman broke all protocol to allow a reporter inside the clubhouse for an exclusive conversation. Jerry Tarkanian invited her to coffee and spent hours (off the record) giving her the inside scoop on NCAA basketball. After pretending he wasn’t on the premises, Dennis Rodman invited her to an in-depth sit down in his restaurant.

But Christine’s greater pride came from using those strengths to break significant stories and tell the tales that needed to be told. Her focus during the 1999 murders in Yosemite was on the victims – becoming involved to the point of fearing for her own safety. She took on a corrupt sheriff of Orange County – putting herself at risk for retaliation in the face of a desperate criminal enterprise. She snuck around a media blockade to get to the parents of an abducted child so that the world would know her as the human she was - not just the victim in a sensationalized crime story.

Christine believed that the best stories are true, and that the truth is worth pursuing and defending - a belief that made her uniquely qualified to transition as an Investigator with the Federal Defenders office in Boise, Idaho. Over a span of 16-years, she tracked down witnesses and jurors who may have been intimidated or bullied – turning over every rock so that those convicted to die were defended to the highest standard possible. A colleague shared, “Christine was an extraordinary soul. She was so strong and fierce, she advocated for our clients so well. She was creative, determined, intuitive, just such a bright light.”

Throughout her life, Christine was an integral member of so many tribes. After college, she quickly became a cherished member of an entire cohort of Hartford-area journalists who regularly convened at Kenny’s. At her sending off party, she said, “I don’t know anyone in California, but I know there are people there I am meant to meet, and I am certain I will find them!”

The basis for so many of Christine’s relationships was adventure!! Biking across Ireland, New Zealand, the Moab; surfing the waves of the OC or Costa Rica; rafting the Payette and Snake; skiing Brundage or dropping into powder from a helicopter in BC. For her, it was as much about the people along for the ride as the ride itself. Ask those closest, and they will tell you: She was always game. Always in. Driving in laughter or in silence, she was easy company. She kept secrets. She was a pit bull for her friends.

Above all else, Christine was a fierce and loyal daughter, sister, cousin, niece, and aunt. Her generosity towards her family was endless. She ensured that none of her siblings ever faced a crisis alone – she was quick with a financial bailout, a place to stay, or a late-night strategy session. She spoiled her siblings’ children – relishing in providing her Boise nephews the equipment and opportunities to pursue confidence-building adventures outdoors.

In addition to her father and sister, she was preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents, several aunts and uncles, and close friend Paul Hutton.

In addition to her mother, she is survived by sisters Kathleen, Claudine (Jake Moorefield), and Colleen (Jonathan Prior); brothers Rowland (Shannon Alt), Joseph, Kevin, and Matthew; nieces Myrene, Irisha, and Zyra; and nephews John Rowland, Roman, Felix, James, Nominick, and Fletcher.

Christine came from an enormous Irish-Italian Catholic family with numerous loving aunts and uncles and twenty-four first cousins. She was particularly close to the Gilmore’s of Palm Springs, and to cousin A.J. of Altadena. She will be cheering on dear Charla from beyond.

She had too many good friends to name here, but the family thanks Becky, Ginny, and Tammy; and Emmett, Mark, Erich, and Amy; and Brian for being her lifelong second family – and her local Boise adventurers Kris, Theresia, Chuck, Scott, Kelly, Dave, and Jason.

The family thanks the healthcare professionals at St. Lukes Hospital, Boise; M.D. Anderson, Houston; UC Irvine Health; UC San Diego Health; Mission Hospital, Laguna; and Silverado Hospice of Orange County. Cancer is a devastating disease. We encourage all to support the fight against it.

Christine’s intention was to execute the “ultimate Irish exit…from the one party I don’t want to leave.” She was adamant that there be no funeral or gathering, saying, “I want the opposite of people coming together…Go to the mountains. Go to the sea. That is where you’ll find me.”