Our mother and sister, Johna Christensen, departed this world on Dec. 29, 2002.
Johna was born July 26, 1937, believe it or not. Yes, that means she was 65! She acted much younger in spirit and appearance. She had lived in Oak Harbor and Coupeville since 1967.
Johna was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and arrived in the U.S. in 1948, after an incredible story of Nazi occupation. She was born to a Jewish mother, Jette Pressman, and a Danish father, Poul Christensen, who preceded her in passing 37 years ago. She lived in Kirkland and Seattle; Mountain Home, Idaho, Lakehurst, N.J.; Solana Beach, Imperial Beach and Lemoore, Calif., before moving up to Whidbey Island in 1967.
Family was very important to Johna. She is survived by her son, Charles Hardee and his wife Connie, of Mead, with granddaughter Amber; Clint Boren and his wife Sherrie of Maple Valley, with grandson Nicholas; and her daughter, Jette Sprague and husband Steve, from Bellevue, with grandson Justin and granddaughter Kelsey. She was also preceded in death by another baby daughter, Miriam South. Additionally, she has a brother, David Christensen and his wife Jean of Bellingham with daughter Hannah; sister Linda Eaton and husband Mike of Mount Vernon with daughters, Onaka and Dana with grandnephew Preston. She has numerous uncles, aunts and cousins in the eastern United States, Denmark and Sweden.
Where does one begin to summarize someone’s life in a few paragraphs? Johna had an incredibly full life and a very big heart. She was liked by all who met her and always had a smile on her face! She has had more than her share of heartaches, yet always believed she had a very happy life. As many survivors of the Holocaust say: “Every day is a gift!”
She has always been very active in civic organizations including PTA, Soroptimists, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Whidbey Writers Group, (for which she contributed an essay in the recently published book; “Take our Words for Whidbey”), Oak Harbor Photography Club, Danish Sisterhood and her sorority, among many others. As a member of First United Methodist Church, she served as an usher, communion steward and scripture reader.
Johna was a garage sale queen and loved to find some obscure, useless treasure. She has had many wild and fun times with her friends and family, and was always ready to party. She was very active in the Amercian Kennel Association with her award-winning dog, Rumble. Especially after she had friends, family and the ACLU help her to participate in spite of her “disability.” She was born without a left forearm, but you would never know it was a problem. She wouldn’t let that stop her from anything.
For many years now, she has been extremely active talking and writing about her experiences during the Holocaust in Denmark in World War II. She was active in a Speaker’s Bureau about this experience on a regional and national basis, especially to school children. She was a member of the Surviving Generation of the Holocaust and the Child Holocaust Survivor Group among others. She even presented the Raoul Wallenbourg Medal of the American Jewish Heritage Society to the Danish vice-consul at the capitol in Olympia, who accepted it on behalf of Queen Margaret of Denmark.
Johna retired from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station as a phone operator and was able to have an incredibly busy lifestyle, including return trips to Denmark, visiting her many friends and family members, and an emotional trip to Israel with her church. Her experiences were between the Christian and Jewish worlds. All this “spare” retirement time allowed her to complete her manuscript for a book to be published about her rich and amazing experiences during the Holocaust. Tentatively called; “The Red Umbrella.” Johna was ecstatic to learn last month that it will be published, so the family
will make it happen. The parting words of the book’s epilogue states: “I visit schools and share my story. …very few of us who survived the Holocaust will have survived this life at all. The Children must know.”
A memorial service will be at the First United Methodist Church, Oak Harbor, Thursday, Jan. 9 at 3 p.m. There will be a celebration of her life after the service in the Fellowship Hall, Pastor David G. Lura presiding. Memorials may be made in her name to the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center, 2031 Third Ave., Seattle, WA 98121-2412. (206-441-5747) Arrangements under direction of Burley Funeral Chapel.
