WASHINGTON, D.C. - Christina Sue Lilja, 56, of Washington D.C., formerly of Paw Paw passed away Aug. 3, 2019 in Falls Church, Va. surrounded by her family.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Compton with Rev. Jeff Schlesinger officiating. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16 at the Merritt Funeral Home, Mendota.

Christy was born Dec. 4, 1962 in Mendota to Ronald and Rita (Goubeaux) Lilja.

Survivors include her parents of Mendota; her siblings, Becky (Kevin) McPheeters of Mendota, David (Susan) Lilja of Paw Paw and Debbie (Eugene) Bodmer of Mendota; eight nieces and nephews and four great-nephews.

She was preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents.

Christy was a 1981 graduate of Paw Paw High School. She joined the American Farm Bureau Accounting Staff in Park Ridge after graduating from Illinois State University in 1985. She rose through the ranks and served as executive director of accounting and administration for a decade. In 2018, she accepted the role of Executive Director of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. For the last 15 years Washington D.C. has been her home.

The family has established a not-for-profit for memorials in Christy’s name, the CSL (Christy Sue Lilja) Foundation.