Rhoda Sonderup Christensen

Rhoda S. Christensen, 90, of Grand Island died Friday, October 18, 2013 at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday at Messiah Lutheran Church in Grand Island. The Reverend Gary Harris will officiate. Interment will be held at 1:30 p.m. at North Logan Cemetery, north of St. Paul. Visitation will be on Tuesday, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the church.

Memorials are suggested to Messiah Lutheran Church, North Logan Cemetery, Nebraska Children's Home or the MS Society.

Jacobsen-Greenway Funeral Home in St. Paul is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Christensen was born February 10, 1923, north of St. Paul, in Howard County, to Henry and Gurtie (Pedersen) Sonderup.

Rhoda was raised and attended grade school in Howard Country. She attended high school three years in St. Paul and then her senior year in Wolbach. She graduated from Wolbach High School in 1940.

She married Raymond Christensen on Feb. 16, 1941, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Howard County.

Ray and Rhoda lived on the family farm for many years and also lived in California. After retiring, from farming, they moved to Grand Island in 1970. She was employed at Miller and Paine and the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant for several years. She enjoyed being a homemaker for most of her life.

They moved to Primrose Retirement Community on Oct. 1, 2012, and enjoyed their apartment and all the residents and staff they met there. They celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary in February, 2013, with a party at Primrose with many family members and friends.

Ray and Rhoda loved to go to dances with their friends, they went on cruises and also traveled to many countries. She enjoyed her family, flowers, playing cards and scrapbooking. She made many wonderful meals for her family and friends and she was loved by all who knew her.

Survivors include five daughters and four sons-in-law, Marlys and Mel Sems of Grand Island, Judy and Rick Hiser of Lake Elsinor, Calif., Janet Blair of Napa, Calif., Cindy and Pete Luth of Lincoln, Sherri and Brent Karley of Austin, Texas; and a son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Rosanne Christensen of Wolbach.

Also surving are 23 grandchildren and their spouses, Mark Sems, Brain and Kim Sems, Debbie Doll, Michelle and Mike Kneale, Marty and Amy Sems, Stacia and Steve Pagani, Jennifer and Joshua Dugan, Malania Iman, Shad and Jessalyn Hiser, Christy and Trent Fischer, Melissa and Derek Lehnecke, Jessica and Alex Paredes, Jackie and Sean Gellatly, Amanda Christensen, Joshua Christensen, Andrea Christensen, Katie Christensen, Allison and Brad Van Boening, Chris Luth, Amber Karley, Rachel Karley, Evan Karley, Braden Karley; 27 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Agnetha Pennington of Alhambra, Calif, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Rhoda was preceded in death by her husband on May 10, 2013, her parents and stepmother, Eva; sisters and brothers-in-law Lois and Carl Hansen, Gladys and Ronald Hansen, James Pennington and infant brother, a daughter and son-in-law, Lana and Burel Doll; a son-in-law, Robert Blair; and a great-grandson, Jacob Kneale, and a special Aunt Emma (Sonderup) Rasmussen who helped raise her and her three older sisters after Rhoda's mother died when she was eleven months old.