Doris Christenson

Doris Christenson, age 87, of New London, formerly of the Atwater area, died Friday evening April 8, at the Glen Oaks Care Center in New London.

Services will be held at 3:30 P.M., Tuesday, April 12, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Atwater. The interment will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call one hour prior to the service at the church. In lieu of flowers the family prefers memorials be given to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Memorial Fund. Arrangements are with the Peterson Brothers Atwater Funeral Home.

Doris Mae (Stark) Christenson was born April 16, 1923, to Elsie (Olson) and Stanley Stark on her grandparent's farm in Lake Lillian Township in Kandiyohi County of rural Lake Lillian. She attended school at District 89 (Riverside School) though the 8th grade and attended Atwater High School and was Co-Salutatorian with Mary Lou Trelsted, graduating in 1941. She attended Teacher's Training (Normal School) at Hutchinson, graduating in June 1942. Doris taught school in Kandiyohi County at District 86 for one year & District 75 for one year. She also taught in Meeker County at District 39 for one year. On June 3, 1944, Doris married Kenneth Christenson at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Parsonage in Atwater and they made their home on the Christenson farm south of Atwater. She loved her family dearly. She was a homemaker enjoying gardening, sewing, canning etc. and was active in the Little Petunia Garden Club, Home Extension and was a Leader of the Acton Buzzers 4-H Club. After Kenneth's death in 1967, she worked at Fingerhut in Litchfield, was a Teacher's Aide at Atwater Public School and worked for 16 years at 3M in Hutchinson. Doris lived on the homestead till her children were all 21 years old. Then in the fall of 1974 she moved to Hutchinson. Doris took night and summer classes at St Cloud State College graduating in Dec. 1974 with a BA Degree in Elementary Education with a Kindergarten Endorsement. She lived in her home in Hutchinson til her health moved her to Cedar Crest for one year. Then she moved to Beachwood Homes in Spicer and then she moved to Glen Oaks in New London. Doris enjoyed traveling and in June of 1974, Doris took a three week trip back to the home country in Sweden to visit cousins. It was a trip Doris always remembered. She has also traveled to Holland, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Lipstenstein, West Germany, Yogoslavia with Pastor Martin from Silver Lake in 1975. She has visited most of the States in the US and Provinces of Canada. She also enjoyed playing cards, mostly whist and rummy. She enjoyed playing War (a card game) with her step great grandson, Chris. They would laugh at each other and had fun. Chris told grandma when she made a mistake and took the cards that belonged to him.

She is survived her son, Kenneth (and Susan) Christenson from Madison Lake, daughter Mary (and Raymond) Hoffman from Hutchinson and daughter Ann (and James) Blakely from Atlanta, Georgia. Also surviving are two grandsons, four step grandchildren, four great grandchildren, four step great grandchildren and one nephew Rodney Christenson, besides other relatives and friends.

Doris was preceded in death by her parents, husband (Kenneth in 1967) and brother and sister-in-law Roger and Mildred (Slinden) Christenson.