Katherine Elizabeth Christiansen
October 14, 1920 — July 11, 2012
Katherine Elizabeth Christiansen
POWELL, Wyo. — KatherineElizabeth Heasler Christiansen, 91, died July 11, 2012, at the Powell CareCenter.
She was born Oct. 14, 1920, in Whitlock Hospitalin Powell, the daughter of John William and Margaret Louise England Heasler. Asa young girl, she was a member of 4-H, Girl Scouts, Junior American LegionAuxiliary and a charter member of Jobs Daughters. She was educated at the Powell High School,LaSalle School of Commerce, North PlatteBusiness Collegeand Northwest College. She had lived in Powell and whileher father was in the oil fields from 1921 to 1939 in Big Muddy, Glenrock andMidwest, Wyo.; Florence Colo.; Panhandle, Texas, and Benington, Kan. She hadalso lived in Venice, Calif.;Sheridan, Wyo.;Kearney, Neb.,and North Platte, Neb.
On Nov. 20, 1939, she married Woodrow Clay Christiansen in Cody. Shehad been a bookkeeper, secretary, college housing director, real estatesalesman, insurance salesman and landlord. She was secretary-bookkeeper for thePark County Draft Board and in Nebraskaworked for the Hinde & Laurinate Architects, North Platte City Engineer,North Platte Building Inspector and for a real estate salesman. In Wyoming, she worked for an R.N.A. Insurance salesman andat Northwest College for 12 years, starting as thepresident’s secretary and then as a housing director and handled theAssociated Students, dorm and cafeteria and athletic accounts. She was a clerkfor six years each for the Park County Museum Board and Crown Hill Cemetery.
She was a member and past unit and past district president of theAmerican Legion Auxiliary in Powell and North Platte, Neb., andworked with Girls State for 33 years; a charter member of Les Frontier Salon714, 8 et 40, in Nebraska and a Past Petite and Past Demi-Chapeau; a pastdistrict deputy of Royal Neighbors of America; a member of Business &Professional Women in North Platte and Powell and president for two terms ofthe Park County Historical Society. She was a member of the Wyoming StateHistorical Society and a past district deputy in Nebraska of the Catholic Daughters ofAmerica. She served two terms as a board member of St. Barbara’s CatholicChurch and was active with youth groups, starting the Newman Club at Northwest College. She was on the Northwest College board of trustees for a term andstarted the Heasler Nursing Scholarship through the Northwest CollegeFoundation which offered one nursing scholarship a year. For four years, sheserved as chairman of the Powell Bicentennial Commission and was treasurer ofthe Wyoming Centennial Wagon Train for six years. She organized the ConcernedCitizens Association and served six years as its secretary. As a board memberof the Homesteaders Museum Association, Inc., she worked on various historicprojects. In the 1970s-1980s, she served for seven years as secretary to thePowell Planning and Zoning Commission.
She received an award in 1976 from the Catholic Daughters-Bicentennialfor outstanding community service; in 1987 the Woman of the Year Award from thePowell Business & Professional Women; in 1990 from the Wyoming StateHistorical Society (an historical award-Wyoming history in the field) and in1991 received the Wyoming A.L.A. Community Service Award from the Powell ValleyChamber of Commerce for her work on the Wyoming Centennial Wagon Train.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Woodrow Clay Christiansen;father John William Heasler; birth mother, Margaret L. Heasler; aunt and motherElizabeth “Liz†Heasler; her brother and his wife, Richard andGladys Heasler; a sister, Mary Lois Jacobson, and her daughter-in-law, ConnieSmith-Christiansen.
Survivors include a son, Michael John Christiansen; nine grandchildrenand two great-grandchildren.
Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Monday with Mass at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdayat St. Barbara’s Catholic Church. Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery. Memorials are requested to theHeasler Nursing Scholarship Fund at the Northwest College Foundation.
She was born Oct. 14, 1920, in Whitlock Hospitalin Powell, the daughter of John William and Margaret Louise England Heasler. Asa young girl, she was a member of 4-H, Girl Scouts, Junior American LegionAuxiliary and a charter member of Jobs Daughters. She was educated at the Powell High School,LaSalle School of Commerce, North PlatteBusiness Collegeand Northwest College. She had lived in Powell and whileher father was in the oil fields from 1921 to 1939 in Big Muddy, Glenrock andMidwest, Wyo.; Florence Colo.; Panhandle, Texas, and Benington, Kan. She hadalso lived in Venice, Calif.;Sheridan, Wyo.;Kearney, Neb.,and North Platte, Neb.
On Nov. 20, 1939, she married Woodrow Clay Christiansen in Cody. Shehad been a bookkeeper, secretary, college housing director, real estatesalesman, insurance salesman and landlord. She was secretary-bookkeeper for thePark County Draft Board and in Nebraskaworked for the Hinde & Laurinate Architects, North Platte City Engineer,North Platte Building Inspector and for a real estate salesman. In Wyoming, she worked for an R.N.A. Insurance salesman andat Northwest College for 12 years, starting as thepresident’s secretary and then as a housing director and handled theAssociated Students, dorm and cafeteria and athletic accounts. She was a clerkfor six years each for the Park County Museum Board and Crown Hill Cemetery.
She was a member and past unit and past district president of theAmerican Legion Auxiliary in Powell and North Platte, Neb., andworked with Girls State for 33 years; a charter member of Les Frontier Salon714, 8 et 40, in Nebraska and a Past Petite and Past Demi-Chapeau; a pastdistrict deputy of Royal Neighbors of America; a member of Business &Professional Women in North Platte and Powell and president for two terms ofthe Park County Historical Society. She was a member of the Wyoming StateHistorical Society and a past district deputy in Nebraska of the Catholic Daughters ofAmerica. She served two terms as a board member of St. Barbara’s CatholicChurch and was active with youth groups, starting the Newman Club at Northwest College. She was on the Northwest College board of trustees for a term andstarted the Heasler Nursing Scholarship through the Northwest CollegeFoundation which offered one nursing scholarship a year. For four years, sheserved as chairman of the Powell Bicentennial Commission and was treasurer ofthe Wyoming Centennial Wagon Train for six years. She organized the ConcernedCitizens Association and served six years as its secretary. As a board memberof the Homesteaders Museum Association, Inc., she worked on various historicprojects. In the 1970s-1980s, she served for seven years as secretary to thePowell Planning and Zoning Commission.
She received an award in 1976 from the Catholic Daughters-Bicentennialfor outstanding community service; in 1987 the Woman of the Year Award from thePowell Business & Professional Women; in 1990 from the Wyoming StateHistorical Society (an historical award-Wyoming history in the field) and in1991 received the Wyoming A.L.A. Community Service Award from the Powell ValleyChamber of Commerce for her work on the Wyoming Centennial Wagon Train.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Woodrow Clay Christiansen;father John William Heasler; birth mother, Margaret L. Heasler; aunt and motherElizabeth “Liz†Heasler; her brother and his wife, Richard andGladys Heasler; a sister, Mary Lois Jacobson, and her daughter-in-law, ConnieSmith-Christiansen.
Survivors include a son, Michael John Christiansen; nine grandchildrenand two great-grandchildren.
Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Monday with Mass at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdayat St. Barbara’s Catholic Church. Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery. Memorials are requested to theHeasler Nursing Scholarship Fund at the Northwest College Foundation.
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