Mildred E. Christensen

Mildred E. Christensen, age 92 of Laurel, Nebraska was called home on Sunday, December 29, 2024 at the Josie Harper Hospice House in Omaha, Nebraska.

 Funeral services will be on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at the United Lutheran Church in Laurel with Rev. Tom Tuura officiating. Burial will be at the Laurel Cemetery. Visitation will be on Thursday morning from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Laurel.

You may watch a livestream of the funeral at: https://www.laurelulc.org/live-stream 

Pallbearers will be her grandsons – Chris Merkel, Matt Christensen, Dave Merkel, Luke Christensen, Kyle Christensen, Carter Christensen, and Dane Christensen. Honorary pallbearers will be her granddaughters – Amy Christensen, Gina Roth, Laura Christensen, Vanessa Petersen, Amber Christensen, and Erin Wilken.

 Mildred Elaine Christensen was born in Newcastle, Nebraska on January 22, 1932, to Burton Mattias and Marguerite Minnie L. (McClary) Hartman. She attended school in Newcastle and graduated in 1949. She began teaching in country schools near Newcastle. She attended Wayne State College. She taught many years in Newcastle and Laurel and upon retirement continued substitute teaching. Summers were busy with county fairs, 4-H, gardening and canning, cooking, and family vacations.

 On June 1, 1954, Mildred married Carl Andrew Christensen at the First Congregational Church in Newcastle. They lived on a farm south of Laurel where they raised five children, Dennis, Diana, Mark, Curt and Nancy. Mildred and Carl enjoyed entertaining, playing cards with the neighbors, fishing trips to Minnesota, wintering in Rockport, TX and traveling. Their grandchildren filled their lives with so much love and joy and they eagerly attended every grandchild’s concert, ballgame, musical, horse show and birthday party.

 Over the years, Mildred loved the art of quilting and graciously gifted these quilts to children and grandchildren. She enjoyed hosting fancy tea parties for her friends and neighbors. Mildred was heavily involved with her church with a variety of groups and fully enjoyed  her bridge and coffee clubs.

 She held these things most near and dear – her faith, her family and her friends, but especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She shared her words of wisdom and endless prayers for her loved ones and we are forever grateful to have been in her life.

 Mildred is Survived by her three sons Dennis and Lisa Christensen, Mark and Carrie Christensen, Curt and June Christensen; daughters Diana and Darold Merkel, Nancy and Rob Flint; 13 grandchildren Amy Christensen, Matt (Mindy) Christensen, Chris (Kami) Merkel, Dave (Emily) Merkel, Gina (Jordan) Roth, Luke (Kristen) Christensen, Kyle (Megan) Christensen, Laura Christensen, Vanessa (Dan) Petersen, Carter Christensen, Dane Christensen, Amber Christensen, Erin Wilken; 18 great-grandchildren; a brother, Derwin Hartman; brother-in-law, Russ Breitkreutz; sisters-in-law, Margot (Harvey) Sorensen, Mary Ann Christensen, and Joan Hartman.

 Mildred was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Carl Christensen on July 9, 2005; brothers, Galen Hartman and Fay Hartman; sisters Donna Skerritt, Shirley Hamer and Sharon Breitkreutz.

 In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the United Lutheran Church in Laurel and to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.