Helen
Helen Christian
d. July 9, 2012
MIFFLINBURG a�" Helen "Sandy" Sanders Christian, 93, of Mifflinburg, passed away Monday, July 9, 2012, at Evangelical Community Hospital, Lewisburg.
She was born Aug. 19, 1918, in Mifflinburg, a daughter of the late Clay S. and Florence L. (Baker) Sanders.
She was raised in Shamokin and graduated as salutatorian from Shamokin High School in 1936. In 1940, she became the second of four generations of her family to graduate from Bucknell University in Lewisburg. She attained a bachelor of arts degree in biology.
After graduation she worked for Bell Telephone Company and was a wartime Red Cross volunteer, On Dec. 30, 1944, she married William Erdman Christian of Shamokin, who introduced her to many new activities such as skiing, fishing, camping and canoeing. They lived in Shamokin and then Nanticoke, where she raised her family, participating in her children's lives as a Girl Scout leader, band parent and PTA member.
She was a current and long-time member of First United Methodist Church in Nanticoke, and enjoyed its Couples Club and Corner Class for many years.
She subsequently worked as a teacher in the Northwest Area School District in Shickshinny, retiring in 1978. In 1992, Helen moved to Mifflinburg where she had spent many childhood summers with her grandparents. She was happily reacquainted with several early playmates and gained many new friends among her neighbors and members of the Athenaeum Club, the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, and the UCC Church. In her later years, Helen remained an avid reader, focused on British detective stories. No day for her was a success unless she solved the daily crossword and word jumble. She continued to be a most generous, thoughtful, and engaged person described as "such a joy" and "a special presence" for a wide variety of occasions.
Surviving are two daughters and sons-in-law, Joyce and Gary Detter, of Saint Leonard, Md., and Karen and Douglas Hovey, of Mifflinburg; four grandchildren, Elizabeth Detmeister, of Alexandria, Va., Rebecca Repp, of Suwanee, Ga., Ian Hovey, of Christiansburg, Va., and Benjamin Hovey, of Wallingford; two great-grandchildren, Elena Detmeister and Jackson Repp; one niece, Peggy Christian, of Bowdoinham, Maine; and one nephew, Robert Christian, of Rochester, N.H.
Helen was preceded in death by her husband, William in 1966.
Friends will be received from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday and from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, followed by the funeral at 11, at the Roupp Funeral Home, 8594 Old Turnpike Road, Mifflinburg with the Rev. Susan Gabbard officiating.
Graveside commitment and interment services will be held for the family at St. Peters United Church of Christ (Blue) Church Cemetery, Paxinos.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Helen's memory may be directed to the Bucknell Fund, the Herr Memorial Library, the Union County Library, or the American Heart Association.
She was born Aug. 19, 1918, in Mifflinburg, a daughter of the late Clay S. and Florence L. (Baker) Sanders.
She was raised in Shamokin and graduated as salutatorian from Shamokin High School in 1936. In 1940, she became the second of four generations of her family to graduate from Bucknell University in Lewisburg. She attained a bachelor of arts degree in biology.
After graduation she worked for Bell Telephone Company and was a wartime Red Cross volunteer, On Dec. 30, 1944, she married William Erdman Christian of Shamokin, who introduced her to many new activities such as skiing, fishing, camping and canoeing. They lived in Shamokin and then Nanticoke, where she raised her family, participating in her children's lives as a Girl Scout leader, band parent and PTA member.
She was a current and long-time member of First United Methodist Church in Nanticoke, and enjoyed its Couples Club and Corner Class for many years.
She subsequently worked as a teacher in the Northwest Area School District in Shickshinny, retiring in 1978. In 1992, Helen moved to Mifflinburg where she had spent many childhood summers with her grandparents. She was happily reacquainted with several early playmates and gained many new friends among her neighbors and members of the Athenaeum Club, the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, and the UCC Church. In her later years, Helen remained an avid reader, focused on British detective stories. No day for her was a success unless she solved the daily crossword and word jumble. She continued to be a most generous, thoughtful, and engaged person described as "such a joy" and "a special presence" for a wide variety of occasions.
Surviving are two daughters and sons-in-law, Joyce and Gary Detter, of Saint Leonard, Md., and Karen and Douglas Hovey, of Mifflinburg; four grandchildren, Elizabeth Detmeister, of Alexandria, Va., Rebecca Repp, of Suwanee, Ga., Ian Hovey, of Christiansburg, Va., and Benjamin Hovey, of Wallingford; two great-grandchildren, Elena Detmeister and Jackson Repp; one niece, Peggy Christian, of Bowdoinham, Maine; and one nephew, Robert Christian, of Rochester, N.H.
Helen was preceded in death by her husband, William in 1966.
Friends will be received from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday and from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, followed by the funeral at 11, at the Roupp Funeral Home, 8594 Old Turnpike Road, Mifflinburg with the Rev. Susan Gabbard officiating.
Graveside commitment and interment services will be held for the family at St. Peters United Church of Christ (Blue) Church Cemetery, Paxinos.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Helen's memory may be directed to the Bucknell Fund, the Herr Memorial Library, the Union County Library, or the American Heart Association.
Visitation Details
Thursday, July 12th, 2012, 6:00pm - 8:00pm, Roupp Funeral Home, Inc.
Friday, July 13th, 2012, 10:30am - 11:00am, Roupp Funeral Home, Inc.
Service Details
Friday, July 13th, 2012, 11:00am, Roupp Funeral Home, Inc.
Interment Details
Blue Church Cemetery
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Helen Christian, please visit our flower store.