Julie M. Christensen

CHRISTENSEN, Julie M.
of Kalamazoo, Michigan Won her battle with cancer Wednesday morning, August 15, 2012. Julie was born April 3, 1958 in Benton Harbor, Michigan and graduated from Coloma High School in 1976. She is the daughter of Roger Christensen and Elizabeth Hubbard Smith and had been a Kalamazoo area resident most of her life. Julie was employed by Western Michigan University for 18 years before retiring from the Occupational Therapy Department in August 2010. As a Master Gardener, she enjoyed working in her garden and sharing her green thumb with others by volunteering in the local community. Her family and friends will remember her as a strong and independent woman who cherished the loved ones in her life, and held animals dear to her heart. She was preceded in death by her father, Roger Christensen; her stepfather, John Smith. Julie is survived by her son, Ryan Kelly Stetten of Portage; 2 grandchildren, Audrey and Grant; mother, Elizabeth Smith of Coloma; 3 siblings, Rebecca Barry Fate of Kalamazoo, Jeff Conita Christensen of Waxahachie, TX, and Lezli Hewitt of Grand Junction; and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held 10 o'clock Monday from the Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th St. Friends may meet the family one hour prior to the service at the chapel. Memorials may be directed to the S.P.C.A. or the West Michigan Cancer Center.