Earl R. Christensen

Earl R. Christensen, Jr., age 92, passed away October 27, 2021, at Evergreen Retirement Community, with his family by his side.

He was born May 18, 1929, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the son of Earl R. Sr. and Lillian Christensen. He attended Oshkosh High School, graduating in 1947. On August 26, 1949, he married his high school sweetheart, Maurene Volp. They were blessed with two children, Jeffrey and Susan. He worked as a machine operator for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah for nearly 33 years, retiring January 1, 1988.

Earl enjoyed pheasant hunting, golf, bowling, and loved fishing. He and Maurene always traveled extensively, even more so after retirement. They visited all U.S. states, (with Hawaii and Alaska being favorite destinations for numerous extended stays) and all but two of the Canadian provinces. Earl’s trips abroad included Australia and New Zealand (twice), middle Europe, Fiji, Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora.

Continuing to learn new things was a large part of their travels, he and Maurene participated in 37 Elderhostel (now Road Scholar) programs throughout the U.S. He was also a long-time member of Learning in Retirement (an organization affiliated with UW Oshkosh), and always thoroughly enjoyed the programs, day trips and the wonderful new friends they made.

Earl is survived by his wife of over 72 years, Maurene; son, Jeffrey (Sharlene) Christensen, Oshkosh, WI; daughter, Susan Harnois, Washburn, IA; grandchildren: Kimberly Christensen (Minneapolis, MN), Kyle (Kelli) Christensen, (Lawrence, KS), David Harnois (Washburn, IA), and Andrew (Nicole) Harnois (Cedar Falls, IA); great grandchildren: Violet Christensen, Eisley, Wren and August Harnois; sister, Joanne Hady, Iron Mountain, MI and niece, Desiree Christensen, Oshkosh, WI.

He was preceded in death by his parents; father and mother-in-law, Albert and Helen Volp; brother, Raymond and his wife, Ann Christensen.

At Earl’s request, there will be no funeral service. Memorials may be sent to Evergreen Foundation – Employee Appreciation Fund, Oshkosh Public Library, or Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.

The family would like to thank Evergreen Retirement Community for providing the wonderful independent living lifestyle that Earl loved so much these past few years. They also wish to express their gratitude for the excellent nursing teams who took such loving care of him during the three months of his last illness. There are no words to describe the outstanding, caring, and warmhearted staff throughout Evergreen who always go above and beyond for all the residents!