Nancy Christianson

Nancy Christianson, 91, of Pierre, passed away Monday, Sept. 6, 2021.
A memorial celebration of her life will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, at Feigum Funeral Home with Pastor Craig Wexler officiating. Nancy’s service will also be broadcast live at www.feigumfh.com.
Nancy Suzanne Christianson was born on Feb. 10, 1930, to Ernst and Mary (Dugan) Juhl in Rock County, Minnesota. Nancy was baptized and confirmed in Rock County and was later a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Aberdeen and Lutheran Memorial Church in Pierre.
Nancy grew up on a farm outside of Luverne, Minnesota, where the family raised purebred Duroc hogs. The family held auctions that were attended by people from across the country. Nancy was an active member of 4-H. In 1947 she became headline news as the first female to win blue ribbons at the Rock County and Minnesota State Fair for both showmanship and her purebred Duroc gilt. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1948 and continued her education at the University of South Dakota.
Nancy met her future husband, Raydon (Ray) Christianson, at the university and reportedly helped many of Ray’sfraternity brothers, who were returning soldiers from World War II, with their course assignments.
She married Ray on June 17, 1951, in Luverne. After their marriage she worked for the federal government in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, until she left to raise two sons. When her sons entered grade school, she attended Northern State University and graduated with a degree in elementary education. She taught fourth grade at Lincoln Elementary School in Aberdeen until her retirement in 1986.
In 1988 Ray and Nancy moved to Pierre, South Dakota, to be closer to family, where she was living at the time of her death.
Nancy loved to cross stitch and was exceptional at it. She enjoyed her time with her cross stitch group, and the group would often take road trips to visit stores in other towns. In their later years, when it became more difficult to travel, yet staying true to their tradition, the out-of-town road trip became an overnight stay in Fort Pierre.
She treasured her husband of 61 years, her sons, Mark and Bob, grandsons Eric and Marcus and met her great-grandson, Alexander. She would check in twice daily to see if there was any new update in the family and would often say one of her greatest joys was to be a part of her grandsons’ lives. In later years she developed a love for gardening and could be found tending to her flowers and vegetables.
Grateful for having shared in her life are Mark and his wife Mary (Skulborstad) of Bolingbrook, Illinois; Bob and his wife L. Ann (Harrington) of Pierre, South Dakota, and their sons Eric and Lisa (Weber), Marcus and Corey (Wannamaker). She cherished getting to hold and welcome her great-grandson Alexander into her family. 
She was preceded in death by her husband, sister and two brothers.
In lieu of flowers or memorials, please perform an act of kindness while holding Nancy in your heart and memory.
Condolences may be conveyed to the family at www.feigumfh.com
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