The Rev William E. Christensen

Reverend William Eliot Christensen, former pastor of the United Church of Norwood for 20 years until his retirement in 2011, went to be with his Lord on Sunday, September 6, 2015 in Norwood.  He was 80.  Bill was born November 15, 1934 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of William Theodore and Doris Violet (Nauss) Christensen.  He graduated from Christian High School in Cambridge and earned his Bachelors Degree from Houghton College in Houghton, New York and his Master’s Degree in Divinity from Gordon-Conwell in Wenham, Massachusetts.  Bill was first ordained as a minister of the gospel of Jesus in 1959 at King’s Highway Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut where he served until 1967.  He then served Bethel Baptist Church in Getzville, New York before moving to the pastorate of the Westwood Evangelical Free Church in Westwood, Massachusetts where he spent six years until assuming the pulpit of the United Church of Norwood.  He was an active member of the Norwood Clergy Association as well as a member and past president of the Norwood Rotary Club.  Bill is survived by his wife, Joy (Milligan) Christensen; his son, David W. Christensen, and his wife Phoebe, of Attleboro; his two daughters, Susan J. Crowe, and her husband Paul D., of Evington, Virginia, and Amy B. Christensen of Norwood; his twin brother Theodore A. Christensen, and his wife Sandy, of Granby, Connecticut; his brother-in-law Jay Milligan of Lakeview, New York; and the wife of his late brother Robert, Barbara Mix, of Lexington; and his beloved grandchildren, DJ, Daniel, Drew, Tim, Laura, and Julie.  Visiting hours will be held Saturday, September 12th from noon until 3 pm at the Folsom Funeral Home, 649 High Street, Westwood immediately followed by burial in Highland Cemetery in Norwood.  Relatives and friends are invited to attend Bill’s memorial service Sunday, September 13th at 2 pm at the United Church of Norwood.  In lieu of flowers donations to the United Church of Norwood, 595 Washington Street, Norwood, MA 02062 would be appreciated.