Pastor Raymond Andrew "Ray" CHRISTENSON

CHRISTENSON, Raymond Andrew "Pastor Ray":December 3, 1931 - November 1, 2025 It is with deep sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Raymond Andrew Christenson (Pastor Ray), M. Div., M.A., B.Ed., B.A., on November 1st, 2025, just shy of his 94th birthday. The kindest and gentlest of souls, Raymond worked as a Lutheran minister, a university chaplain, a high school teacher and a carpenter. He loved life and people and always worked hard to nurture a sense of optimism in himself and others. He had a lifelong passion for learning and a joyful curiousity which he carried with him into everything he did. He was an avid and lifelong sports fan, a lover of music, a film enthusiast, a theatre aficionado, a Canadian history buff, and an adventurous and open-hearted traveler. In his retirement Ray was deeply engaged in the Edmonton community championing Edmonton artists, supporting local businesses, sitting on boards, attending the city's many festivals, subscribing to Edmonton's theatre companies, attending concerts, frequenting coffee shops along Whyte Avenue, enjoying long walks in the river valley, meticulously tracking baseball stats at Trappers Games, and most of all, playing an active role in the lives of his children and grandchildren. Raymond was a social activist and bridge-builder who advocated for justice and equality in the church and the community and always stood up for marginalized people, no matter the personal cost. He was an inspiration to everyone who knew him. Raymond is survived by his daughter Anine (Dixon), son Jonathan and wife Siân (Williams), and daughter Jenifer; his grandchildren, Sarah (Dixon) and Andrew, Matthew (Dixon) and Corrie, Eric, and Augustus (Williams); his great-grandchildren Rosy, Gloria, Wesley, and Claire; his siblings Beulah (Hemingson), Ron, and Delores (Halisky); and his constant companion through the final years of his life, Hazel. He was predeceased by his son, Ronald, his parents Andrew and Ingrid, his brothers Vernon, Lloyd, Wesley, and Earl, and his sister Lorraine. The family is deeply grateful to Palliative Home Care at AHS, especially Leah, and to the team of care givers who supported him through his final weeks: Angela, Tsion, Jason, Mark, and Eva. Funeral Service Sunday, November 23, 2025, at 2 p.m. (MT) at Trinity Lutheran Church. For those unable to attend, a livestream of the service will be available at www.parkmemorial.com on Raymond's Book of Memories, where photos, memories, and condolences may also be shared. The family is inviting those attending the service to bring warm socks, mittens or toques which will be donated to unhoused members of our community. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Raymond to one of the following charities which were among the many that he faithfully supported throughout his life: Lutheran World Relief, Amnesty International, or Lutheran Campus Ministry.