Thomas Christensen,73, of Fort Pierre, passed away at his home of natural causes on Sunday, January 22nd. A visitation will be held from 5:00p.m. to 7:00p.m. at Isburg Funeral Chapel on Sunday, January 29 with a time of sharing starting at 6:00p.m. The funeral service will be held at 11:00a.m. on Monday, January 30 at Isburg Funeral Chapel with burial to follow at Scotty Philip Cemetery. For those unable to attend the services, they can be viewed on his obituary page at www.isburgfuneralchapels.com.
Thomas Christensen was born May 18, 1949, the son of Lloyd and Harriet (Cromheecke) Christensen, at the Huron Hospital in Huron, SD and lived with his family above the lumberyard in Wessington, SD. They later moved to Redfield, SD, where Tom attended grade school, and eventually Jamestown, ND, where he attended junior high school. In 1965, they moved to Gackle, ND where Tom’s father started Christy Lumber and Tom attended high school, graduating in 1967 from the Gackle High School. After high school, Tom attended the State School of Science at Wahpeton, ND, for welding. After graduation, he went to work for Stieger and Pioneer Crushing as a welder and later for Stremick Construction in Wahalla, ND. Tom married JoAnn Rath from Gackle in 1971, and their daughter Paula was born later that year. In 1973, they moved to Fort Pierre where Tom’s father owned and operated Christy Lumber. Tom worked for A-G-E Corporation operating pushcat and during the winter months he worked at the lumberyard. Construction took Tom all over the state when he worked for Johnson Brothers Construction in both South Dakota and Wyoming.
Tom continued to keep in contact with the many friends he met over the years and when Tom’s father, Lloyd, retired, Tom decided to return to the lumberyard full time. Tom enjoyed working with local contractors and people doing home improvements and had the knack for growing the business. He was detail oriented and enjoyed working, adding three semis so he could haul grain and lumber. Along the way, Loren Shantz was a main employee along with many other interesting delivery guys. Eventually Tom met Tammy Schultz and they had two children together, David and Sarah.
Tom taught all of his kids basic tasks and loved spending time with them teaching them how to check oil and maintain their vehicles. He also loved to travel, especially to Texas, getting at least one speeding ticket each way when he would drive there. He was a person who loved to talk to people about anything and telling stories about the pranks he took part in. Tom also had tremendous pride in his grandchildren (Hey Tiger!!).
Tom is survived by his children Paula (Ben) Berg of Gackle, ND; Sarah Christensen of Hendricks, MN; David Christensen of Ft. Pierre, SD, his grandchildren Ali Gross; Johnny Gross of Gackle, ND; and Isaac Bruner of Hendricks ND, his sister Sharon Keel of West Fargo, ND, and niece Kristen Entziminger Boyd of Peoria, AZ.
Tom is preceded in death by his parents and his first wife, JoAnn.
