Roberta Joan Christensen

Joan Christensen, 85, of Polson, MT, died peacefully on the afternoon of Friday, July 29, 2011 at her home on Flathead Lake. Her daughter Margery was at her bedside. She was born on October 28, 1925 in Great Falls, MT, to Margery and Bob Engelking. Because her father was an oil and gas drilling contractor, she and her sister Shirley lived their early years with their parents on the oil and gas leases where their father worked, ultimately settling in Kevin, MT. She graduated from Oilmont High School in 1943, and then attended the University of Montana, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi Sorority, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism in 1947. While she was a student of the university, she met the love of her life, Robert Henning Christensen, who was attending U of M following his WWII service in the U.S. Navy. They were married in Shelby, MT on July 20, 1945. Their son Dana was born in 1951 in New York City, where Bob was obtaining a masters degree at New York University. They then moved to Billings, MT where Bob worked as a physical therapist. Their daughter Margery was born in Billings in 1953. The family then moved to Missoula where Margery and Dana were raised. Joan was a 'stay at home mom' during the 1950s and 1960s, which was a role she relished. She was devoted to her family. She was an extremely creative and gifted individual, which manifested itself in early years in playing the piano and sewing her own clothes, which were often copied directly from the latest issue of Vogue magazine. She was always the most beautiful woman in the room, admired by her husband and children. Only when her children were off to college did she enter the work force, working for many years for the Ottman Insurance Agency in Missoula. Bob did prematurely at the age of 58 in 1983. Joan never remarried. Instead, she dedicated herself to her family, which now included her grandchildren Benjamin Henning Christensen and Cassidy Ann Christensen, to her art, and spiritual pursuits. She went back to college in the fall of 1985, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art from Montana State University ' Eastern, where she earned straight A's and received the prestigious McIntosh Art Award for the 1985 academic year. She was an accomplished and widely respected artist. Her most well known artistic works were two colored pencil series featuring her black cat, Ralph, entitled, 'Ralph Imitates Art' and 'A Cat for All Seasons'. These collections were shown in many galleries, and the subject of a series of greeting cards, which were sold throughout the northwest. Joan was a profoundly spiritual person. She was called to the Holy Order of the Diaconate of the Episcopal Church in 1997. After an arduous 3-year course of study, which she began at the age of 72, she was ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopal Church in 2000, where she served with her dear friend Rev. Edwina Aker until her retirement in 2005. She was also the chaplain at St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson, MT from 1999 to 2004. In spite of her many accomplishments, her greatest joy came from her family, and her many friends and neighbors on Skidoo Lane, including Roger and Libby Smith, Ted Smith and Mary Newmann, Edwina, Chuck and Pam Aker and Ann Ross, and all those who were part of her long life in Missoula and Polson. Although she never learned to swim, she loved Flathead Lake, and her home, which had been in the family since the early 1940s. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Robert. She is survived by her son, Dana and his wife Stephanie, her daughter Margery and her husband John, her grandchildren Cassidy and her fianc��sh Josh, and Ben and his wife Anja, and her sister Shirley Postlewait, and her nieces and nephews Diane, John and Karen Postlewait, and their families. The family is very grateful to her physician, Dr. Dan Rausch, who provided her with superlative and loving care, and her ophthalmologist, Dr. Roger Barth, who saved Joan's vision many times. The family is also thankful for the wonderful care that was provided to Joan by all of the nurses and folks with Hospice, The Pines Home Health Care and at St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson. A memorial service will be held for Joan at a later date this fall at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Polson, MT. Messages of condolence may be expressed to the family online by visiting www.groganfuneralhome.com. The staff of Grogan Funeral Home and Crematory, Polson, considers it a privilege to care for Mrs. Christensen's family.
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