Mary Ruth Christensen 1927 - 2020

Mary Ruth Christensen, 92, wife of the late Stanley R. Christensen, of McMinnville, Oregon, passed away Monday, June 29, 2020, at  Brookdale Hillside Community.

Born September 16, 1927, in Gooding, Idaho, she was the youngest daughter of the late Robert G. and Sarah A. (Bennett) Erdmann.

Mary attended her early years of school near their family farm in Tuttle, Idaho. In 1937, she moved with her family to Strassel, Oregon, where she finished grade school at Graystone. She attended high school in both Banks and Forest Grove, graduating in 1945. She then attended Pacific University in Forest Grove studying pre-nursing. She transferred to the University of Oregon Nursing School (Portland) and graduated with a B.S. and R.N. in June of 1950.

She met her husband-to-be, Stan, through his sister Dorothy, who was her roommate at nursing school. Mary and Stan were married on March 4, 1951. Mary spent her early nursing career at the Salem General and McMinnville General hospitals in the OB sections. She took time off from nursing to raise five children on Mary and Stan’s family farm on Delashmutt Lane southwest of McMinnville. She returned to nursing in 1970, working at Physicians Medical Center. She moved to Oakwood Glen Care Center as DNS in 1973 and stayed there until 1984. She then taught nursing courses for several years at Chemeketa Community College before moving to Sheridan Care Center in 1987 as DNS. She retired from nursing in 1997.

She loved spending time with family, her various cats, gardening (especially her rose garden), traveling with Stan, watching birds and was a lifelong collector of stamps.

She is survived by daughters, Janice and her husband Howard Bellows of Kenmore, Washington, Lora and husband Tarry Brockman of Dayton, Oregon, and Lynn Slater of McMinnville; and sons, Jerry and wife Janna of Wilsonville, Oregon, and Lyle and wife Cynthia of McMinnville. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

In addition to her husband, Stan, she was predeceased by her parents; older sisters, Martha A. Cheney and Sarah Roberta (Bert) Flabetich; and brother, William (Bill) F. Erdmann.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Interment will be next to Stan at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. To leave condolences, visit www.macyandson.com.