Frank Dale Christensen | Obituary

Frank Dale Christensen passed away on December 14 at Prestige West Hills Senior Living with a loving family and caregivers by his bedside. Frank was born on June 26, 1934 to parents Fred and Anna (Moser) Christensen in Coquille. He was very proud of his Danish, Swiss and Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Frank graduated from Coquille High School in 1952 and stayed connected with his graduating class, attending numerous class reunions. Frank received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education and Master of Education from Oregon State University and took courses for his doctorate. of the State of Arizona. He was drafted into the United States Army while in college. After completing his undergraduate studies, he served in Korea as a Teleprinter operator in Signal Core. He was honorably discharged from the Army Medal of Honor and the Medal of Citation and Good Conduct. He was very proud of his service and in his later years he could often be seen wearing his Korean vet baseball cap. Frank has had many jobs over the years to pay for his education or to support his family, including working in a door factory, mill, car wreck, grocery store, food service such as dishwasher and cook. of fries, a welder, owned a gas station, was a mechanic, built trails for the US Forest Service, fought fires, was a carpenter, and remodeled homes. Frank was an industrial arts teacher at Dalles High School when he met Nancy J. Choate (1940-2018). Frank and Nancy married in 1964 and lived in Salem where Frank began teaching industrial arts at Leslie Jr. High in Salem. They had two children, Louisa and Sara. Frank and Nancy raised their children in Salem until Frank took a professorship at Humboldt State University in Eureka, California. Frank returned to Oregon a few years later when he and Nancy divorced. Frank found the job of his dreams and became Director of the Drafting / Civil Engineering program at Linn Benton Community College, where he retired in 1995. He met his second wife Martha Doogan at LBCC, and they moved on. have been married for years. Frank considered her to be his soul mate.

Frank was an advocate for vocational education and was a member of the Oregon Industrial Arts Association, the Oregon Vocational Association, the American Society of Certified Engineering Technicians, and Epsilon Pi Tau. Frank was a huge fan of the OSU Beavers and attended many games over the years. Even with severe dementia, he could name many former OSU coaches. Frank was heavily involved in his fraternity, the Sigma Chapter of Kappa Delta Rho, for over 60 years and was awarded the KDR National Ordo Honoris in 1996. He spoke frequently of his college days and considered KDR members to be his. family. Frank enjoyed traveling, bowling, golfing, gardening, hunting, camping and fishing. He was an accomplished cabinet maker, colonial metallurgist, and crafted gifts ranging from furniture to jewelry for friends and family. He lived along the Alsea River in retirement, enjoying fishing in his garden and being a member of the local art guild. His daughters remember him coaching their football and softball teams, camping and hiking trips, frequent Oregon history and family genealogy classes, his patience in teaching them to drive. , always making sure they knew how to maintain their car, the special projects he did for them. or taught them how to do and her dedication to spending time with her grandchildren.

Frank is survived by his brothers, Robert Christensen, of Monroe, and Dick Christensen, of Alabama, his daughters Louisa Shelby and Sara Christensen-Lee, of Corvallis, and his grandchildren, Ivy and Conner Farrell, and Zachary and Sebastian Lee.

Military funeral will be held at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 SE Mt. Scott Blvd, Happy Valley, on January 28 at 2:00 p.m. Details of future local memorial services will be posted on the McHenry Funeral Home website https: //www.mchenryfuneralhome. com. Memorial donations can be made in Frank’s name to support the Oregon State Sigma Chapter Kappa Delta Rho Alumni Association at https://www.kdr.com/donate/sigma-alumni-corporation- fund /.