Ewald Kaae Christensen

NOT A BRANIFF RETIREMENT CLUB MEMBER BUT PART OF OUR BRANIFF WORKING FAMILY

http://www.mccalebfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Ewald-Christensen/

Ewald Kaae Christensen, 93, formerly of Wahpeton, North Dakota, passed away Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 in Weslaco, Texas.

The memorial service will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 at Grace Community Church, Weslaco. Interment will take place at a later date in Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

He was born to Martin L. Christensen and Aga (Kaae) Christensen in Minneapolis Feb. 21, 1922. Known to most as “Chris,” Ewald worked for Western Electric as a central office wire chief after graduating from high school. He then served in the U.S. Army Signal Corp. during World War II in the South Pacific. He returned to Western Electric after the war and in the 1950s worked for Mid-Continent Airways, which later became Braniff Airlines.

In 1951 he married Nola Mae Eshelman and they began their family. In 1961 they moved to Breckenridge, Minnesota, and a year later to Wahpeton, where he was an electronics instructor at North Dakota State School of Science until his retirement in 1985.

Ewald was always very active in ministry at church, serving as Sunday School superintendent, Deacon and teacher. A particular joy was his role as faculty advisor to the NDSSS InterVarsity Christian Fellowship college student group where many lives were changed for Christ.

Since moving to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in 1997, he pursued a ministry painting watercolors of the people of Progresso, Mexico, and then presented their portrait and a Gospel of John in Spanish to them. These last two years he has resided at John Knox Village in Weslaco.

Ewald is preceded in death by his wife, Nola; and brother, Kenneth.

He is survived by his children, Judith (Larry) Braaten, Nancy Christensen, Timothy (Karen) Christensen; five grandchildren: James, Lisa, Anne, Daniel and Peter; and five great-grandchildren: Sarah, Eve, Alex, Ella and Calen.

Memorials should be designated to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, PO Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895.

McCaleb Funeral Home in Weslaco is in charge of the arrangements.