Darlene Emma Christensen

In loving memory of Darlene Emma Christensen, 77, of Bothell, Wash., who died at Evergreen hospice center Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009, after a long and brave battle with cancer.

Darlene was born Dec. 29, 1931, in Sisseton, S.D., to Elda and Joseph Schmaus. She was a graduate of Sisseton High School, and married Willis Christensen on May 28, 1950. She retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 1990 after 25 years of civil service employment.

Darlene was a devoted wife and a warm, sweet and loving mother and grandmother. She cherished family above all else and will always be remembered as the strongest link in our family’s lives. No words can express how deeply she will be missed.

Preceding her in death are both her parents, and brothers Stanley Schmaus (Sisseton, S.D.) and Percy Schmaus (Ballard, Wash.).

She is survived by her husband Willis Christensen of Bothell, Wash., and her  children, Marsha Miller (Edmonds, Wash.), Roger Christensen (Deming, Wash.), Patty Christensen (Talkeetna, Alaska), Curtis Christensen (Scotts Valley, Calif.), Keith Christensen (Seattle), Deanne Christensen (Mill Creek, Wash.), Teresa Fernandez (Bothell, Wash.) and Steven Christensen (Duvall, Wash.). Also surviving her are brother Alan Schmaus (Lynnwood, Wash.), sister Ruth Sherman (Cheney, Wash.) and 19 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday at Washington Cathedral in Redmond, Wash.

Darlene’s family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Aimee Kohn, MD, at Cascade Cancer Center and Michael Hunter, MD, and their staff at Evergreen Hospital for their medical guidance, and to the clergy of Washington Cathedral for their spiritual guidance.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to  Cascade Cancer Center Foundation, 12303 N.E. 130th Lane Suite 120, Kirkland, WA 98034 or Washington Cathedral c/o Darlene Christensen Memorial Fund, 12300 Redmond-Woodinville Road N.E., Redmond, WA 98052.