Lee Allen Christensen has gone home to meet his Lord. His earthly journey spanned 81 years. But the earthly body is not what defines a person. It is simply the vehicle that the Lord gives us to do His will. We are defined by who we become as we seek and live out God's purpose for our lives. Each one of us has a unique purpose and mission and Lee was definitely unique! He sought to do God's will throughout his entire life. Even at 80 years old, his 2019 New Year's resolution was, "to find God's purpose for my life." He was a man of tremendous strength and faith. His zest for life, faith in God, love for his family and devotion to serving others created a space filled with joy and treasured memories in hearts and minds that will endure beyond the passing of his physical body.

Lee Christensen was the oldest of 4 children, including Jon, Byron and Ruth, born to Henry and Hazel Christensen. His life started simply on a farm in Council Bluffs, Iowa where Christian faith was the cornerstone of daily life. His lifelong quest for learning started off in a one-room schoolhouse, followed by a BS and MS from Iowa State, and an MBA and PhD from Michigan State. He received a commission as an Army Second Lieutenant in 1961. His military career started with two active duty tours in South Korea and Fort Leonard Wood and finished with reserve duty until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel on 22 September 1998. In addition to his Army career, he worked as an Agricultural Economist for the USDA for 40 years. He was widely published and did consulting work in South Korea and Poland. He accomplished many things with his work, but that is not what defined him.

What defined Lee were his tremendous faith, strong character and keen sense of adventure and interest in the world and people around him. He loved cultivating the earth and was a skilled gardener. His love of cultivation and watching things grow transcended to the people he met. He was genuinely interested in everyone that he met and had a skill for fully listening and remembering important details. He loved building relationships and doing special things for others and never met a stranger. He was an active member of church and invested his resources generously to the community. He served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher for most of his adult life and trusted in God's faithfulness as he grew in understanding through Bible study. He had a passion for missions and participated in several mission projects, including clearing trees around their church in Virginia, disaster relief in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, three construction projects in Slovakia and a journey to Moscow to select a Russian church to partner with for the sharing of the "Good News" after the Berlin wall came tumbling down. If there was a service project involving shovels, saws or tools, he was on it!

Lee was a devoted husband, best friend, lover and rock to Dawn for 56 years as of 30 November. He lived out his faith by honoring her, cherishing her, and putting their collective needs and desires above his individual pursuits. If asked what the most important element to their successful marriage was, he would simply say, "putting God in the center of our three way union." Including God in the decisions and details, small and large, of their lives was as natural as breathing for Lee. He fiercely loved his children, Lori and Bryan, daughter-in law Connie and grandchildren William, Caroline and Anna. He encouraged the younger generations to stay true to their Christian heritage and faith and showed his love through generously giving of his time, talent and treasure. His greatest joy in life came from spending quality time with them and being part of their lives. He was involved and interested in the details and invested deeply and generously in cultivating these core relationships.

Lee fought the physical enemy of Mr. Parkinson, as he liked to call it, but never let it define him. He lived up to his nickname of "Mighty Eagle", exhibiting tremendous strength and humor through the indignities that come with disease. He never became bitter about his circumstances and was an inspiration to those around him. Lee maintained his interests and desire to reach out to others in meaningful ways and his positive attitude and great sense of humor drew people to him. He was determined and stubborn and held onto his faith and hope for the future in spite of the physical obstacles. When he entered glory, he surely heard the beautiful words from our Lord, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Isaiah 40: 28-31 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

The service will be held, 12:30 o'clock, Monday, November 4th, at Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel. The family will receive friends following the service and burial will follow in Fort Jackson National Cemetery at 3 o'clock. Memorials may be made to Shandon Baptist Church Mission Fund, 5250 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC 29206.

"You either get bitter or you get better. It's that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you."
- Josh Shipp

Lee had a heart for missions. If you would like to give a gift in his memory, donations can be sent to the missions fund at Shandon Baptist Church via mail at 5250 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC 29206 or on line at www.shandon.org under the "Missions" tab. Select "Baptist Missions" in the drop down menu.