Marian Eleanor Christensen

Marian Eleanor (Holmberg) Christensen formerly of Wakefield, Nebraska passed away on Friday, October 2, 2009 at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha, Iowa. The funeral service for Marian will be held on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 2:00 P.M. at Salem Lutheran Church in Wakefield, Nebraska; Pastor Bill Kober will be officiating. The visitation will be held on Tuesday from 3:00 until 8:00 P.M. at the Bressler ~ Munderloh Funeral Home in Wakefield. The family will be present from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. There will be a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday evening at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Wakefield Cemetery. Marian was born at the stroke of Midnight On October 5, 1918 in Wakefield, NE to Anton and Aleda (Florine) Holmberg. She attended mostly country schools in Nebraska and Minnesota and graduated from Wakefield H.S. in 1937. After graduation she went back to Hector, MN to help her sister Ruth with her growing family. She then attended the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis. She returned to Hector until she married Lloyd W. Christensen at Salem Lutheran Church in Wakefield on September 29, 1940. To this union were born four children: MaryDiane, Pamela Sue, Jeffrey Lloyd and Kayleen Louise. Marian and Lloyd moved around, as had her mother and father, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. In 1964 they settled back in her “home town” of Wakefield, Nebraska. In 1967 a tragic car accident took the life of Marian’s husband, seriously injured herself, her daughter Kayleen, (a high school student), her mother Aleda at age 82 and her niece and Goddaughter Joellen Winegardner who had just graduated from high school. Life was never to be the same. Marian had always been a strong-willed person and now this trait was put to the test. Marian has held numerous types of jobs with a typing talent, a knack for numbers and a love for books and the library. After the accident and while recuperating she actually got to be “Marian the Librarian”. She also attended Wayne State College and studied Library Science. Marian ended her varied careers by working in Dr. Coe’s office as a book keeper until she reluctantly retired. She then spent her time decorating her home, which had always been a priority for her. She also was an avid reader, writer, sewer and she enjoyed planting flowers and traveling. To the end Marian was never without a project to complete. Over the years Marian was an active member of Salem Lutheran Church. She sang in the choir for many years, belonged to circle XYZ, and was the church librarian for some time. She belonged to Club 16 and was a past president of the American Legion Auxiliary. Marian was known for her sense of humor and even in her last illness she was singing old songs and enjoying old hymns, thus putting smiles on the faces of those who cared for her and endearing her to their hearts. This made her even more beautiful than she was. Marian is survived by her children: MaryDiane Cook of Adel, Iowa, Pamela Djerf of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jeffrey and wife Ginger Christensen of Lancaster, Ohio, and Kayleen and husband Lee Dahl of Laurel, Nebraska, twelve grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and a great-great-granddaughter. She is also survived by her sister Joann and husband Joe McGuill of Sioux City, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her parents, Anton and Aleda Holmberg; her husband Lloyd; and two sisters Ruth Larson and Dorothy Holmberg.