Obit: Christopherson, Stanley D. (1937 - 2014)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Christopherson, Morgan, Quast, Baldwin, Erickson, Blaire, LaRoche, Phalen, Rogness, Schultz, Wells, Robinson, Marg

----Source: Banner Journal (Black River Falls, Jackson Co, WI) 9/10/2014

Christopherson, Stanley D. (14 August 1937 - 4 September 2014)

Stanley D. Christopherson, 77, of Alma Center passed away Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, at his home while under the care of Black River Memorial Hospice, Black River Falls. He was born Aug. 14, 1937, in Sparta, to Glenn and Mahala (Morgan) Christopherson.

Stan spent his first few years growing up on a farm near North Bend until his parents moved to Alma Center and bought a farm just outside town. One of four boys and with four sisters, the family farmed for several years. Stan’s older sisters nicknamed him ‘Porky’ very early on, and he was known to most everyone as ‘Pork’ or ‘Porky’ the rest of his life. His father eventually sold the farm and the family raised strawberries in town.

As a teenager and young man, Porky rode a Harley Davidson and enjoyed raising a little hell with his two brothers and other friends who also rode Harleys back then. At 16 years old, he and his best friend Eugene left school and headed to Milwaukee for work. Through Manpower, they worked various jobs, even as groundskeepers at the old “Milwaukee Stadium” where they met Jackie Robinson.

Returning to Alma Center, he met and fell in love with June Quast, who was originally from Neillsville. He married June on Jan. 30, 1959, at the age of 21, and together they raised seven children.

He worked for many years at the grain elevator in town for different owners, mostly as the G. W. Elevator. Throughout his younger and middle years, Porky enjoyed hunting and fishing with his brothers and local buddies. He also love to throw horseshoes and played on the local league for years, most often in the top partner rankings and taking season championship more than once. He was well known as a ‘good shoe’. He also enjoyed playing pool, cards, tended some big gardens, raised chickens and turkeys, and always loved country music and dancing. Two of his brothers were guitar players and Pork like to play the harmonica. The two brothers relocated to Townsend, MT, years earlier to log and operate a saw mill up in the hills, with his mother and a sister also moving there. Porky enjoyed several trips to Montana over the years to visit and really loved the area.

In the late 70s he took a job at the Jackson County Iron Mine and became a crane operator there. With the close of the mine in 1982, he returned to the feed mill for several more years. Around 1990, he moved to Townsend, MT, by his family. He held several jobs there but mostly worked on a vacation ranch in West Yellowstone. He told many stories of grizzly bears leaving their sign from nightly visits. Porky was the handyman at the ranch, making lots of firewood and doing many other jobs and, of course, visiting with all the vacationers. He also enjoyed several visits from Alma Center locals who stopped in to catch up with the Christopherson boys out in Townsend.

Porky then moved back to Alma Center around 2000 and lived with his daughter Linda for about 10 years. Many good times were had there with his family again. He then moved to the apartments on Main Street, where he did his best to entertain and take care of the ladies living there. He checked in on them, helped with garbage, cleared snow and did other chores. He kept them on their toes with his constant joking and storytelling. And he still liked to occasionally pull out his harmonica and play a tune for his neighbors, which they loved. He spent time watching the Packers. Preferred to listen to the Brewers on the radio and of course listening to Country, Gospel and even Polka Music. Sunday mornings were always filled with six hours of “good old time music” as he put it, and you’d hear it well before you got to his door if visiting. Porky always welcomed visits from family and some longtime friends who would stop in to keep in touch.

Stanley is survived by son, Steve (Nicole) Christopherson of Merrillan; daughters, Judy (Walt) Baldwin of Wisconsin Dells, Linda Christopherson of Alma Center, Susan Erickson of Marshfield, Kimberly (Dave) Blaire of Howell, MI, Kristin LaRoche of Merrillan and Mary Phalen of Alma Center; 12 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; brothers, Harlan and Wayne Christopherson, both of Townsend, MT; sister, Donna Rogness of Madison; and other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Glenn and Mahala; brother, Doug; sisters, Beulah Mann, Esther Schultz and Francis Wells.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, at noon, at Jensen-Modjeski Funeral Home, Hixton. Reverend Terry Marg will be officiating. Burial will follow in East lawn Cemetery, Alma Center.

Family and friends are invited for visitation Saturday, from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home.

Online condolences are available at www.jensenmodjeskifuneralhome.com.  Jensen-Modjeski Funeral Home of Hixton is assisting the family with arrangements.