COLUMBUS
Christine Paulette Lemley passed away peacefully on Friday, April 12, 2024, at the age of 83.
Christine is the oldest of 5 children born from her late parents Victoria Therese Kapuscinski
Zatorski and Michael Francis Zatorski on August 6, 1940, in Hammond, Indiana. She has 4 brothers, Michael, Thomas, Paul, and Mark Zatorski, of which Tom (Kathleen) and Mark survive. She married Max Boyd Lemley on August 8, 1964, in Crown Point, Indiana. They have 2 daughters: Quinn Lemley (Paul Horton) of New York, NY, and Alexa Lemley Sieg (Summer) of New Salisbury, IN.
Christine is preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Michael and Paul.
She is survived by her husband, Maxie B., daughters Quinn and Alexa, and grand dogs, El?a, Buerre, Gravy, and Biscuit. Grandcats Geri and Oeuf. Brothers Tom and Mark Zatorski.
Christine known as “The Type” or “The Mothah” is an influence and pillar in shaping the landscape of Columbus, Indiana’s cultural scene in the 1970s-90’s. She used her talents as an artist in the visual, culinary, and teaching mediums that impacted people from around the world.
She received a Master’s Degree from Indiana University in visual art. Launched her career as a painter and fine artist.
After teaching art in elementary schools in Crown Point, Indiana, Christine and Max moved to Columbus as restauranteurs. They purchased “Sap’s Buffeteria” aka “The Buffy” and “The Coffee House” from Uncle Sap Essex.
As a teacher, she educated children on the importance of art with “Art Smart”.
Max and Christine had Lemley’s Catering, the largest caterer in Southern Indiana.
In 1975 Christine was classically trained as a chef at the esteemed cooking schools, LaVarenne and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France. Furthering her culinary talent, she worked with legendary chefs, James Beard and Julia Child. Infusing her culinary skills to her restaurants in Columbus, she changed the way people experienced dining in the region. “Real Butter with Warm Bread”, “Fresh Ingredients” and “Seasonal Menus”. The creator of inspirational menus, she was the executive chef of Columbus’ The Walnut Room. A French restaurant downtown that was an international gastronomic destination for people around the world.
To further enhance the gastronomic experience at The Walnut Room, in 1982, she received a Rotary Scholarship to study Oenology at The University of Bordeaux, France where she spent a year abroad with her girls studying the art of wine. In Bordeaux, she was the first woman to bring American wines from California to France’s “Vin Expo”.
Always ahead of her time, using her knowledge of wine and culinary skills, she produced the PBS TV series, “Wine What Pleasure!” Educating people on the marriage of food and wine.
She had a Food &Wine collum in The Republic enforcing her message.
A trendsetter, Christine introduced “Farm to Table” to Columbus, with “The Bistro” and its garden, before it was a national food movement. She loved her gardens harvesting vegetables and flowers.
At 50, she rode her bicycle from Seattle to Deleware with “Wandering Wheels”. To test her faith, she rode solo on the sacred pilgrimage “Camino de Santiago” from Paris, France to Santiago, Spain.
A deeply spiritual person and devoted student of the Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton, and mythologist, Joseph Cambell, Christine did annual silent retreats with the Monks of The Abbey of Gethsemani. A believer in inclusion and ecumenicalism, she was an attendee of The Parliament of World’s Religions in Cape Town, South Africa, Barcelona, Spain, Chicago, and Salt Lake City. Inspired by the Cape Town exhibition at The Parliment, as a producer she brought an art installation, on evolution through science, “A Walk Thru Time” to Columbus.
To further her spiritual quest, she made a pilgrimage to India.
In her pilgrimages, she was called to earn a second master’s degree in Spiritual Direction at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. As a Spiritual Director, she worked as a non-denominational chaplain at Bloomington Hospital and First Presbyterian Church in Columbus.
A firm believer in dreams: as an educator, she produced the PBS documentary, “Dreamtime”.
An artist, educator, chef, wine enthusiast, and lover of life, Christine’s legacy is carried through her work, friends and family. Her philosophy of inclusion is: “There is always enough at the table! There’s soooo much to celebrate!, and The Universe Provides” pours through all of the people from her adventures that she has touched around the world. She was filled with love, exuberance, beauty, adventure, and deep faith. May we continue to create, innovate, and inspire to make the world a better place by celebrating and sharing pieces of what we have learned from “The Type”, Christine Paulette Lemley.
A Celebration of Life for Christine will be held on Saturday, April 20th at the residence of Max Lemley. Please contact lemleyalexa@gmail to RSVP.
In place of flowers, charitable donations can be made in honor of Christine P Lemley to The Indianapolis Museum of Art, where for her love of art and beauty, she worked as a docent for years or The Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky, her beloved place to center herself, connect to the Universe and recharge.
For Contributions send check donations in memory of Christine Lemey to:
Abbey of Gethsemani
ATTN: Fr Anton Rusnak
3642 Monks Road
Trappist, KY 40051
To provide exceptional experiences through art and nature at Newfields (Formerly the IMA) in the name of Christine P Lemley
https://give.discovernewfields.org/give/495622/?_gl=1*19s5bh*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MTA1MjUyMzIuQ2p3S0NBanc0OC12QmhCYkVpd0F6cXJaVkpSVXJtaXpxdDZYdTVTLUVXTEtvaUpTY1pBYW1JR0t5Tk5wMGdGbUM2TUk2NDA2OWhieTZob0NWUE1RQXZEX0J3RQ..*_gcl_au*MTgxMTUxNTg3Mi4xNzExNTY5MzI5#!/donation/checkout?c_src=AnnualFundUnsolicite&c_src2=MainDonationPage
