Nancy Susan Magnusen was born in Yonkers, New York on October 8, 1959 to Leroy and Mary Groundwater Magnusen. During the next few years she would graduate from high school and then college, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education before marrying David Allan Christenson on August 29, 1982. He was in the military at the time, serving in New York where they stayed for the next two years before his term of enlistment ended and they moved to Florida.
Six years of Florida proved to be enough and they returned to New York before eventually landing in Hardin County, making their home in the Crump-Adamsville area. They began attending Hopewell Baptist Church in Savannah where she was very involved with their youth program before moving to First Baptist Church in Adamsville. Along the way their two sons, Leroy Thomas Christenson and Christopher Allan Christenson, joined the family.
Nancy was an awesome mom to her two boys . . . and to anyone or anything else that needed her time and attention. Her heart went out to those who did not fit in or who simply needed someone to love them. An exchange student from Venezuela who was not adjusting well to his host family learned just how determined she could be in her desire to “mend” the lives of others when, after a few well-placed phone calls by Nancy, he found himself moving into their home.
She was extremely proud of her sons who characterized her as the Energizer Bunny in recognition of her desire to be constantly busy and productive. The pleasure she found in sewing and quilting and crafty things enabled her to make all the decorations for Christopher’s recent wedding. And she loved gardening. Whether flowers or vegetables, if it grew she would plant it. Her family loved dogs, creatures she said she tolerated, being unwilling to admit that she probably loved the pups as much as they did. Tinkerbell, Dixie, Duke, Gabe, and Tegan all benefited from that “tolerance” as did several other dogs from the neighborhood.
Just as with most other folks, she had her quirks such as making up words and then claiming they were Northern in their origin, even though her family could never find them anywhere else. And if she ever got agitated, the Yankee accent really became pronounced. Her love of Facebook allowed for friendships all across the country, but her love of family and family traditions was her most endearing attribute. Nancy’s knowledge of sign language enabled her to help raise her niece who is deaf. The acknowledgement of the importance of family was always present and she was constantly reminding them of that importance and insisting that they spend time together. Christmas was one of her favorite times of year, a magical time when her children were younger. Christmas Eve was celebrated with the traditional seafood dinner followed by bedtime in a house with no Christmas tree and no sign of any presents. But during the night, Santa Claus would come and transform everything so that, when morning finally broke, the tree stood tall and magnificent, fully decorated and surrounded with gifts. As the years passed and the boys grew older, the tradition changed with each family member adding their own special ornaments to the tree, still on Christmas Eve, still accompanied by the traditional seafood dinner, but still a time for family to be together.
Nancy Susan Magnusen Christenson unexpectedly left this life on Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at the age of 54 years, 9 months, and 8 days. She leaves to mourn her passing and to carry on the traditions she so lovingly instilled, her husband, David Allan Christenson, her two sons, Leroy Thomas Christenson and Christopher Allan Christenson, and Christopher’s wife, Hannah Price Christenson, all of Adamsville, Tennessee, her mother, Mary Magnusen, of Smithtown, New York, her sister, Bonnie Dodt, also of Smithtown, New York, and her brother, Clay Magnusen, of Albany, New York. She was preceded in death by her father, Leroy Magnusen.
Arrangements are incomplete at this time.
