- Alvin Christensen
Funeral services for Alvin Vernon Christensen were held at 2:00 PM Saturday, April 25, 2009. Pastor
Betty Mawbey officiated at the service at Nathanael Lutheran Church at Dagmar; interment was in
Ebenezer Cemetery, near the family farm east of Antelope. Casketbearers were Gail, Cary, and Troy
Sundsted, Gene Tufton, Kermit and Richard Sorensen, Wayne Everson, and Dennis Nielsen.
Honorary bearers were Ken & Pat Christensen, Nick & Cleo Nielsen, Kurt & Adeline Ueland, Gary &
Arlene Christensen, Sophus Christensen, Hans & Judy Larsen, Lloyd & Cherril Sorensen, Violet
Sorensen, Allan Lindquist, Bruce Desonia, Larry and Gary Sheldon, LeRoy Lutz, Gilbert & Ethel
Sorensen, Mabel Sundsted, Sweede & Kaye Tufton, James "Sonny" Tufton, Dr. Kirk Stoner & Staff,
Staff of Sheridan Memorial Nursing Home, and all family and friends of Alvin's. Ushers were Kenny
Nielsen and Keith Ueland. Alvin died early Wednesday morning, April 22, at Sheridan Memorial
Nursing Home, where he had been a resident for just over a year. He was 79.
- Alvin was born November 3, 1929 on the family farm east of Antelope, one of eight children of
Andrew and Millie (Jorgensrud) Christensen. He was born on the family farm and lived there all of
his life.
He attended Monroe School through the 8th grade, graduated from Antelope High School in 1947, and farmed with his brother, Ken, until
1951. Alvin and Myra Sorensen were married January 1, 1950 at the Plentywood Lutheran Church. After Ken entered military service, Alvin
proudly remained the steward of the family's land and farming operations.
Alvin and Myra were active in all kinds of community events, faithfully attending meetings and doing the work necessary to make
northeastern Montana a great place to live. Active in, among other organizations, the Sheridan County Democratic Central Committee,
the Grain Grower's Association, the Plentywood Rural Fire District Board (and served as a rural fire warden just about forever!), the
Danish Brotherhood, Sons of Norway, and the Plentywood Elks Lodge. Alvin and Myra were active members of the St. John's Lutheran
Church, where Alvin was a board member and church officer until they transferred their membership to Nathanael Church, where he
also served on the board and as an officer. They always attended church ... whether it was convenient or not!
Family gatherings always featured music ... on the piano, guitar, harmonica, family singing, and dancing. Alvin and Myra loved to travel
(but REALLY preferred not to fly!) and enjoyed visits in Norway and Denmark, as well as frequent bus tours around the U.S, and at least
one annual trip to Kansas City to visit Alvin's brother Ken and his family. For years the family made frequent outings to Clear Lake,
enjoying boating, waterskiing, and swimming. In 1985 they built a vacation retreat at Blacktail Dam, where they added fishing to their
other watersports.
Always with an infectious smile and ready laugh, Alvin was upbeat and cheerful. Even a few snowflakes saw him out with his John
Deere tractor and snowblower, making sure no one was snowed in! About that John Deere ... "if it wasn't green, it wasn't seen on the
Christensen place!" If only ... well, he would have had a John Deere pickup!
For some time, Alvin struggled with the onset of Alzheimer's. On March 4, 2008 he entered the nursing home. With the tremendous and
generous loving care of the staff at Sheridan Memorial, Alvin reached a level of contentment there, and seemed to maintain his sense of
humor and smile through it all.
Alvin is survived by his wife, Myra, at home on the farm; and by four daughters and their families: Coleen Sundsted (Gail), Janice
Sundsted (Cary), both of Antelope; Carol Christensen, of Billings; Shelley Christensen-Tufton (Gene), of Dagmar; and by his brother, Ken
Christensen (Pat), of Kansas City, Missouri. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Troy Sundsted (Mandie) and Treasure Ransom
(Dan); Krista Moore (Cory), Amber Sundsted, Miranda Dickson (Matt), and Terra O'Brien (Dave); Christofer, Jared, and Hunter Tufton; and
by 12 great-grandsons as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Besides his parents, Alvin was preceded in death by a a great-
granddaughter, Abbie Lee Sundsted, and six of his seven siblings: Johnny and Clifford Christensen, Clara Desonia, Alma Christensen
(in infancy) Agnes Everson and AliceRasmussen.
Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood had charge of arrangements.
| 1929 - 2009 |
| . . . . in Memory of . . . . |
Remembering Alvin