NAPLES, Fla. — Anna Christina (“Chris”) Kardon, cherished wife of Paul Kardon, M.D., for 63 years, passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 5, 2025.
Born in the Philippines in 1937, while her father served there with General Douglas MacArthur, she grew up in Northern California. After receiving her B.A. degree from Reed College, she moved east to attend the Columbia University School of Social Work, from which she received an M.S.W. in 1960. During the summer between her two years at Columbia, she worked at a camp in New Jersey for orthopedically handicapped children, where she met her future husband, Paul, then a medical student. Paul’s training career took them to Brooklyn, Chicago, Manhattan, and two years in the Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. At each location, Chris worked as a clinical Psychiatric Social Worker. They settled in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1971, where she continued her practice and worked and taught at the Adelphi University School of Social Work.
Chris and Paul retired to Naples in 2000. Once in Naples, she studied to become a Master Naturalist and worked as a volunteer docent with the Friends of Barefoot Beach Learning Center for 30 years. Chris also volunteered at the Shelter for Abused Women and Children for 15 years.
A voracious reader, she was usually in the middle of reading a book — or two. In the summer, at their cottage in upstate New York, she could always be found in the tiny kitchen, having just returned home from a local farmers market, and preparing to cook or preserve the day’s bounty. A gifted seamstress, her handiwork produced, among other things, recyclable gift bags made out of old fabric. Her numerous friends can attest to her spirit of adventure, as they were cajoled into going on offbeat local trips with her, including swamp walks. With an agile mind and a positive outlook, she seized every opportunity, every day, and she lived life to the fullest. In the face of tragedy, as with the passing of her son, Craig, one year ago, she was stalwart.
In addition to her husband, survivors include her daughter, Gabrielle Kardon; a granddaughter, Krista (Hunter) Kardon-Thompson; one great-grandson, Bryce Thompson; her sister, Melinda (John) Hall; two nieces, and two nephews; and three great-nieces and two great- nephews.
A memorial will be held at a later date. Contributions in her memory may be sent to Reed College, www.reed.edu/givingtoreed/online-giving; Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-south...; and the League of Women Voters of Collier County, www.lwvcolliercounty.org/, designated for the LWCC Endowment Fund in memory of Chris Kardon.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback 
