Marian S. Christensen passed away surrounded by her family on January 26, 2015, one month shy of her 101st birthday.
Born February 21, 1914 in Sioux City Iowa, she was the eldest of 6 from stalwart Danish parents, Olina & Thomas Petersen, who instilled a strong work ethic and imperative moral compass. Raised in the small farming town of Thornton, Iowa, Marian attended Union College in Lincoln where she met her husband Joe in French class. They married in 1933 and thus began a 72 year loving and committed relationship which lasted until Joe’s death in 2005. Marian was an active partner with Joe in the formation and development of their company JCI (Joe Christensen Inc), Printers/Publishers of Law Reviews, which even today continues to hold a formidable reputation amongst peers nationally.
She moved through her life with a unique spirit: thoughtful, generous, tenacious, tough. The mother of 3 children, Richard (spouse Barbara), JoAnn Kemist (spouse Greg) & Brian (spouse Nancy), she was a model of a strong yet warm woman who maintained the highest expectations for herself and her family. With her active and inquisitive mind intact even as she left this life, Marian had an insatiable love of learning. She read the Wall Street Journal from cover to cover daily and relished in alerting her children and grandchildren to articles or issues which they might have missed! Following a severe heart attack in 1986, she tackled the daunting task of cardiac rehabilitation with her signature determination and never gave-up working toward the highest level of function possible for herself. She eventually became a charter member of the Bryan Lifepointe Stretch, Tone and Balance class, attended routinely every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and developed life-sustaining friendships with that group.
Marian had a profound appreciation for talent, whether in education, sport, music or the arts. as well as in her winter home at Venture Out in Mesa Arizona. With the DK Chapter of PEO, she forged many amazing, lifelong friendships and demonstrated her commitment to support for education. During her winters in Arizona, she discovered and perfected an extraordinary artistic skill in the craft of porcelain figures and nurtured her spirit through the creation of beautiful treasures which will be cherished for generations among her family.
Marian Christensen was a loving and caring wife, mother, grand-mother, great-grandmother & friend who will be sorely missed by all who knew her. She is survived by her sons Richard (wife Barbara) and Brian (wife Nancy) Christensen of Lincoln & daughter JoAnn (husband Greg) Kemist of Woodside, California, along with 11 Grandchildren: Eric (wife Jennifer)Christensen of Balston Spa, NY; Drake Christensen of Richardson TX; Marta (husband Casey) Harmon of Culver City CA; Adam (wife Micheline) Kemist of Menlo Park CA; Dain, Caity & Reid Christensen of Lincoln; Bonnie (husband Scott) Elliott of Beaverton, OR; Don (wife Lori) Brown of Beverly Hills, MI; Scott & Doug Daelhing of Lincoln and 14 Great-Grandchildren.
Marian requested a private memorial with her family.
Many thanks to all of Marian’s friends who gave her such great joy throughout her life. Special thanks to Care Consultants for the Aging who provided excellent and loving service to both Joe and Marian in the later years of their lives.
Memories and condolences can be shared online at Roper and Son’s.
Memorials in lieu of flowers to the Lincoln Community Foundation, 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 100. Lincoln NE 68508. (https://www.lcf.org/contact)