| Notes |
- <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;" data-reactid="196">Herluf Christensen passed away on September 13, 2010 at P.A. Peterson Home with family beside him.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;"> </p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;">He was born September 23, 1916, in Audubon, Iowa, to Christen P. and Johanne (Rasmussen) Christensen, and lived 91 years in Audubon, Shelby, and Pottawattamie Counties, Iowa. In June, 2008 Herluf moved to Rockford, Ill., where he lived for the past two and a half years. He attended school in Audubon County, Iowa, and graduated at sixteen. He completed one year at Dana College in Blair, Neb., and at age 17 started teaching in a one room school in Audubon County. He later attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls and Iowa State University to completing Bachelor's degree in Biology and English, and Master's degrees in public school administration.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;">Herluf was inducted into the Army in April, 1941, and on December 27th of that year, married Vasthi Magnussen in Audubon. He served as an M.P. at Camp Ritchie, Md., and was discharged in 1943.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;">He returned to his career in education in Iowa, as a social studies and music teacher in Marathon and Laurens and as superintendent of schools in Irwin. He later moved to Council Bluffs and taught at Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson schools and was principal at Edison, Madison, and Sunnydale schools. He retired from teaching in 1974, but continued a tax and accounting service until 1999. In 1997 he guest conducted the Rockford Symphony Orchestra.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;">Herluf and Vasthi raised three children: Doran (Bonnie), a radiation emergency response physician in Rockwood, Tenn., Joanna Christensen, a private entrepreneur in Council Bluffs, and Paul (Sue) Christensen, a cardiologist in Rockford, Ill. He was fluent in Danish and intensely proud of his Danish-American heritage and Lutheran upbringing. He kept the family archives and family tree, and kept ties with his family in Denmark and made many trips to Denmark with Vasthi, his children, and grandchildren. His life was devoted to family and their accomplishments in health, education, and design. He had a passion for the English language both written and spoken. Music, genealogy, woodworking, travel, and steadfastness in personal values and ethics were the fabric of his life.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;">Herluf is preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Vasthi; sister, Hertha Levis; and infant granddaughter, Amy Christensen.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;">He is survived by a sister, Harriet "Hap" Eastwold, of Sioux Falls, S.D.; he is also survived by his three children; and seven grandchildren, Matthew (Jill) Christensen, Eric Christensen, Mark Christensen, Sarah Christensen, Vasthi (John) Wilson, Julia Anna St Pierre, and E'Lise (Aaron) Bell; and four great-grandchildren, Kenneth and Kirstin Christensen, Logan and Abigail Wilson. Extended family are Jason (Anna) Short, of San Francisco, Calif., and Kim (Tim) Lane and children, Jessica and Michael, of Cincinnati, Ohio.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #00141e; color: #00141e; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;">We are grateful to all the friends and family who visited, sent cards, and kept him in their prayers, to Rev. Hering and the Underwood Lutheran Church family that surrounded him with love and care through 50 years, Pastors Smazik and Ward and his Rockford church home, Westminster Presbyterian Church, and especially to his friend, Ellerd Stolgren and the staff at P.A. Peterson Home in Rockford, Ill., who so lovingly cared for him. A Memorial Service will be held in Underwood Lutheran Church, 10 3rd Ave., Underwood, Iowa, on Friday, November 12, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. The family requests memorials be made to the Christensen Scholarship Fund, Underwood Lutheran Church, or "in care of the family" for other designation</p>
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1916 - 2010 (93 years)
