Christee Sandia Thomson Streett November 14, 1940- April 8,

Christee Sandia Thomson Streett November 14, 1940- April 8, 2025 Christee Streett ("Dragon Lady") lived life full throttle. Born in Albuquerque, she blazed her own trail, graduating high school at 16, admitted to Harvard (though unable to attend), and the first girl to join the Boy Scouts with her Scout Master father and two brothers. After a brief marriage to Gene Streett, she had her first son, Lincoln, with R.C. "Rocky" Bottoms, a Tennessee sheriff, on January 28, 1961. She later moved with Lincoln to Tulsa, where she learned photography from Albert Meerholz, the father of her second son, Bentley A. "Albert" Streett, born on October 16, 1975. Tragically, Bentley's father, Albert Meerholz, died months before Bentley's birth, leaving Christee to raise both sons on her own. A woman of many hats, mother, photographer, balloon pilot, racer, she once beat Parnelli Jones in a street race, earned her Screen Actor's Guild card in Hollywood, and became the first female driver in NASCAR's Cannonball division. Back in Albuquerque, she opened Memory Time Studios and earned Master Photographer status in both the U.S. and Mexico. She took her first hot air balloon flight at 51, inspired Bentley to fly at 14, and together they soared, Christee becoming the first U.S. woman to lift off from Moscow's Red Square, Bentley the Fiesta's youngest pilot at age 16. Christee once hit a $1.58 million jackpot at Isleta Casinoand used it to buy balloons and together with her son, Bentley, named them High Roller, Jackpot and American Dream. Preceded in death by her son Lincoln, her brother Mistee and husband Bill. Survived by son Bentley, brother Tristee, and niece Mistee, Jr. Her independence, courage, and legendary one-liners leave a lasting legacy. Services at First United Methodist, 315 Coal Ave. SW. Saturday August 9, 2025 at 2:00pm. https://www.nmcremation.com/obituary-detail.php?obituary_id=329