Myrtle J. Christensen

Myrtle Jane Christensen (nee Sanders) of Waukesha passed away on Friday, April 3, 2015 after a long life of love, more love, even more love and, of course, chocolate. Born April 24, 1916 on her parents’ farm in North Freedom, Wisconsin Myrtle moved to Waukesha with her family at the tender age of 12 where she met and fell for the love of her life the late Frederick H. Christensen. Myrtle loved to tell the story of their first meeting at Horeb Spring Park where she grabbed Fred’s cap and ran off with it so he’d have to chase her to get it back.

Myrtle graduated from Waukesha High School and then began a long career with the Wisconsin Telephone Company as the voice with the smile. Between the time she was hired by the phone company and her recent passing Myrtle managed to love one man, bear and raise three children, welcome nine naturally born and four exchange grandchildren into the family, be an example and mentor for her many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, dry countless tears, bandage a number of scrapes, build and live in her dream home, provide untold laughs, play cards and scrabble with a vengeance, crochet baby blankets too numerous to mention for project Linus, eat tons of chocolate, drink gallons of coffee and in general suffer the heartaches and celebrate the joys that the human existence and everyday life have to offer.

She will be sadly missed by her children and their spouses David (Julie) Christensen of Manchester, IA, Cindy (David) Dankert of Fort Wayne, IN and Fred (Colleen) Christensen of the Town of Genesee. She leaves behind her grandchildren Sadie (Gabriel) Barrientos, Scott Christensen, Shayna (Tim) Blackmon, Sanders (Rita) Christensen, Christopher (Amy Sue) Dankert, Amy Lynn (Kyle) Mavis, Meghan (Adam) Wroblewski, Nathan Christensen and Caitlyn (Seán) O’Sullivan. Myrtle deeply loved and always wanted to hear about the adventures of her great grandchildren Owen, Kinsley, Hannah, Jacob, Ezra, William, Aaron, Sanders Lee, Jenna, Eli, Asher, Bronson, Carsten, Rosie, Adalyn and Sasha.

Myrtle was preceded in death by her husband Frederick H. Christensen, her parents Charles and Sadie (nee Page) Sanders, brothers Earl Sanders, Alvin Sanders and Melvin Sanders, sisters Evelyn Martin and Verna Wise, sister in law Isabelle Sanders (nee Hunkins), brothers in law Daniel John Martin and John Wise. The family firmly believes that somewhere in heaven there is table with a really hot game of cards or scrabble going on with most if not all of those participants playing.

In a letter to her then college student granddaughter Meghan, Myrtle provided her own eloquent summation of her life. She said, “I was really blessed. A mom and dad that loved me, a husband that adored me since I was 12 years old, and then three of the most wonderful children that ever lived and absolutely wonderful grandchildren. Now I ask you, what more could a person want in a life time?” Postmarked May 10, 1999. Indeed Mom, what more?

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 from 4:00PM until 7:00PM at the Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, 1110 S. Grand Ave., Waukesha. Visitation will continue at the funeral home on Thursday, April 9, 2015 from 10:00AM until the time of the 10:30AM funeral service. Reverend Nicole Farley will preside. Burial will immediately follow at Prairie Home Cemetery. Memorials in Myrtle’s name are appreciated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, P.O. Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741-5041. Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, Crematory and Preplanning Services is honored to serve the family. For further information, please call the funeral home at 262-547-4035 or visit our website at www.waukeshafunerals.com for directions or to leave the family an online tribute message.