Joanne Christiansen

December 18, 1930 - December 5, 2019

On the night of December 5, 2019, Joanne Christiansen passed away peacefully at the Good Samaritan Society in Newell, Iowa. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church in Newell. Burial will be in the Newell Cemetery in Newell. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the CHURCH. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Newell is in charge of the arrangements. Joanne Carol Christiansen was born December 18, 1930 in Newell, IA, daughter of Chris and Elsine Larsen. Joanne was baptized at the First Baptist Church in Newell, graduated from Newell High School and attended Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota until her marriage to William Christiansen. Later in life, Joanne attended nursing school and worked as a licensed practical nurse, including a time at the Good Samaritan Society nursing home in Newell. On August 28, 1949, Joanne was united in marriage to William “Bill” Christiansen at the First Baptist Church in Newell. They were blessed with five children: Tim, Nancy, Mary Jo, Dwight, and Karla. Joanne and Bill were one of eight charter families of Bethel Baptist Church in Newell. She was a faithful member of Bethel Baptist, where she played piano for many years. Joanne was a dedicated, loving and attentive mother to her children, a faithful wife to her husband, and a loving supporter of her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Those left to cherish her memory include her children: Timothy (Susan) Christiansen of Ashton, IA; Nancy Johnson of Pocahontas, IA; Mary Jo Busse of St Cloud, MN; Dwight (Jeanine) Christiansen of Albuquerque, NM; Karla (Timothy) Hall of Des Moines, IA; sixteen grandchildren; fourteen great-grandchildren; five great great-grandchildren; brother, Richard (Pauline) Larsen of Newell, IA; and her wide extended family and many friends. Joanne is preceded in death by her husband Bill of 63 years and Joanne’s sisters Marie Beal and Marian Eldred and her parents, Chris and Elsine Larsen.