BERTHA MAE “BERT” CHRISTIANSEN
Bertha “Bert” Christiansen, 82, passed away Monday, October 25,, 2021, at The Chateau of Batesville in Batesville. Bertha Mae Kaldenberg was born in Des Moines, Iowa on August 21, 1939, to Henry Matthew Kaldenberg and Regina Elizabeth (Garretson) Kaldenberg.
On March 18, 1960, she married her husband of 61 years, Lloyd Edward Christiansen. Bert and Lloyd resided in Boone, on the east side of Des Moines, on their farm near Altoona in their fifth wheel trailer. They traveled for several years before returning to live in Altoona. The couple eventually moved to Indiana to be near their daughter and her family in February of 2020.
Bert graduated from North High School in 1957. She worked at “The Telephone Company” (Northwestern Bell) for almost 30 years and at Hy-Vee customer service. During their travels, she sold angel pins, bubble wands, and Rada knives with Lloyd. She enjoyed following the lives of her grandchildren, playing penny slot machines, crafting projects with unique techniques she learned while traveling around the country, race walking, bicycling, attending the Iowa State Fair, and camping.
Bert is survived by her husband Lloyd, daughter Jill Lussow (Bob), granddaughter Katelyn Gilday (Derek), grandson Kyle Lussow, sister-in-law Betty Kaldenberg, niece Diane Manifold (Thomas), nephew Michael (Barbara) Kaldenberg, and many great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brother, Marion “Bud” Kaldenberg.
A private service will be held for family members and she will be laid to rest in Greendale Cemetery in Greendale, Indiana.