Marjorie L. Christianson

Marjorie Christianson, 98, of St. Louis Park, died Friday, May 8, 2026.

Marjorie was born on October 8, 1927 to parents, Mark and Laura Synnott. She had three younger sisters, Patricia Sullivan, Mary Goodin and Kathleen Bush. They lived on a small farm nine miles north of Wausau, WI. She walked one and one-quarter miles to a one room school with one teacher teaching grades one through eight. When she was in second grade, their teacher, Miss Mary Ryan, often spoke to them about God. On Ash Wednesday, she explained that the next forty days would be a time to prepare for Easter. She suggested they make a little sacrifice like giving up candy. This was a Lenten practice Marjorie kept for the rest of her life. Although this was a public school, none of the parents objected to Ms. Ryan’s teaching and she was well-respected by all.

Getting back and forth to high school in Wausau was a struggle. In her sophomore year, her parents sold the farm and they moved to Wausau.

In her senior year, their typing and shorthand teacher had her class take a Civil Service test. The tests were sent to Washington D.C. for evaluation. After receiving job offers from different departments of the government, she decided to accept the one from the F.B.I., which offered housing and a good salary. As she was looking forward to graduation and going off to Washington with some of her classmates, her parents decided that because she was sixteen, she was too young.

She took a job at the home office of Employers Mutual Insurance Company in Wausau. The following year, 1945, the war ended and she was rewarded for obeying her parents. Sheldon Christianson, a tall, dark and handsome Marine who had enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor and served three and one -half years in the South Pacific, came home and took a job where she worked. They were introduced by a mutual friend at the company Christmas party and were married July 19, 1947.

In 1950 their son, Daniel, was born. In 1956 Sheldon was transferred to Eua Claire, WI where their son, James, was born.

In 1961 Sheldon took employment with another company and they moved to South Minneapolis. Dan and Jim attended Visitation School. Marjorie did volunteer work in the school office, helped out in the classrooms and was a chauffeur for the nuns.

After the boys were grown, she took a job with the Minneapolis School Board of Education as a secretary. She worked there for eleven years, including two years after her husband died. She then retired, sold their home and moved to an apartment in St. Louis Park.

Marjorie is survived by sons Daniel of Florida and James of Eagan; granddaughter, Nicole and husband Chris Sheldon of Maple Grove.

Complete funeral times to be announced soon.