Patricia Ann Christiansen, age 96, passed away with family by her side on April 16th, 2026.
Born to parents Fredrick and Elsie Ecklor, Patricia was a lifelong resident of Kenosha. She attended local schools, and after high school, attended Beautician School to become a hairdresser. She styled hair at Vi’s Beauty Salon and gave final makeovers at Hanson Funeral Home before retiring in 1989 from Christiansen Heating and Sheet Metal.
After her father’s death when she was a young girl, Patricia lived with various aunts and uncles to ease the financial burden on her mother during the Great Depression. Later in life, Patricia would become the final caregiver in the family for these family members.
She never hesitated to help a friend or family member. She loved spending time with family and friends at the cabin on White Lake by Waupaca. She loved camping in a tent and would spend entire summers with her three boys camping when they were young. She was active in the Women’s Groups at St. Matthew’s Episcopal and would volunteer cutting hair at Brookside Care Center for many years.
Patricia was preceded in death by her husband, Oliver Christiansen, in 2019; son Lee Christiansen Sr. in 2012; daughter-in-law Kathy Christiansen in 2013; sisters Joyce Istvanek, Jean Phipps, and Shirley Gail; and brothers Franklin Gail, John Gail, and Fred Ecklor.
She is survived by her sons Glenn (Rita) Christiansen and Daniel Christiansen; grandchildren Christopher (Danielle) Miller, Craig (Christine) Miller, Michael (Dawn) Christiansen, and Lee Christiansen Jr.; and great-grandchildren Aiyanna, Reagan, Lia, and Vincent Miller and Abbie and Josh Christiansen.
Services for Patricia will be held at St. Matthew’s Episcopal (5900 7th Ave) on Monday, April 27th. Visitation with the family will take place at 10 am, followed by a funeral service at 11 am. She will be laid to rest in a private ceremony next to her beloved husband, Oliver, at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to either St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church or Hospice Alliance would be appreciated.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff at Willowbrook Assisted Living for their compassionate care of Pat during her final years, and to the nurses of Hospice Alliance for the dignity and humanity with which they treated Pat near the end.
Patricia herself wrote a note to be included in her obituary: “A special thanks to all her friends at St. Matthews Church and St. Barnabus Church in Deland, Florida, where Pat and Oliver spent the winter months after retiring.”
