Ewald Kaae Christensen

WESLACO / WAHPETON - Ewald Kaae Christensen, formerly of Wahpeton, passed away on December 5, 2015 in Weslaco, TX at the grand age of 93. He was born to Martin L. Christensen and Aga (Kaae) Christensen in Minneapolis, MN February 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 WWII in the South Pacific. He returned to Western Electric after the war; and in the 1950’s 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, MN and a year later to Wahpeton, ND where he was an Electronics Instructor at the 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, TX.

Ewald is preceded in death by his wife Nola, and brother Kenneth; survived by his children Judith Braaten (Larry), Nancy Christensen, Timothy Christensen (Karen), five grandchildren: James, Lisa, Anne, Daniel, Peter; and five great-grandchildren: Sarah, Eve, Alex, Ella, Calen.

Memorial Service will be held on Friday, December 11, 2015, 6:30pm at Grace Community Church located at 132 N. Sugar Road, Pharr TX 78577. Interment will take place at a later date in Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN.

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