07/10/2024
ποΈ With great sadness, we share a final farewell to our dear friend, Susan Ann "Sue" (Bond) Christianson of Tulsa who peacefully passed away on 8 July 2024 at the age of 81, after entering Hospice following a series of health setbacks and the return of an inoperable brain tumor.
Sue entered this world on 20 March 1943, in Fargo, North Dakota to Archie Bond and Ruth (Trana) Bond. Sue's mother, Ruth, was a first-generation, American, born to Norwegian immigrants (Marius and Anelia Trana).
On 17 December 1966 Sue married David Gerald "Jerry" Christianson, the love of her life. They were married for 55 years until Dave's death in 2021. Together they raised two boys, Bryan David and Daniel Jay, and later, one of Sue's greatest delights was becoming a grandparent to her precious granddaughters, Emily and Celeste Christianson.
The Christianson family relocated from Fargo, North Dakota, to California where the boys were born in San Diego before eventually settling in Oklahoma where Sue worked for the University of Tulsa for many years.
After Sue retired, she found a passion for training world-class Labradors. Known as the "Lab Lady," she founded Wyngmaster Labradors which brought her great training skills and love for dogs to the world of labradors and their humans.
Sue loved the Dallas Cowboys and was well known for her love of Bluegrass music. Sue and her husband (known affectionately as "Dobro Dave") enjoyed traveling to bluegrass festivals and "pickins" all over the region when they could. The Christiansons made many treasured memories and met beloved friends who became family everywhere they went. Sue's enjoyment of Bluegrass and Gospel was evident in her ever-present grin and effervescent spirit. I was fortunate to forge a friendship with Jerry, Sue, Bryan, and Dan that lasted decades and which is surely a testament to their warm and generous nature.
Sue is perhaps best known for her faith in Jesus Christ and one of her finest attributes was her ability to instantly forgive others, even after the tragic and senseless murder of her oldest son Bryan in 2008.
Sue had many causes that were near and dear to her heart, but she was comforted profoundly by knowing that many others enjoyed the life-changing gifts of organ donation resulting from Bryan's untimely death.
Susan was preceded in death by her husband, (David Gerald), son, (Bryan David) father (Archie Edgar Bond,) mother (Ruth Olga Trana Bond Cossette), as well as her brothers (Curtis, Paul, Jay, Joel, and Mark, and Gary), her father-in-law (I. Rudolph Christianson) and mother-in-law (Myrtle Hillstad Christianson), and a host of beloved pets who are surely waiting for her in heaven.
Sue is survived by her loving son, (Dan), daughter-in-law (Jeanine), two granddaughters (Emily and Celeste), her sister Barbara Metcalf, of Navarre, FL, sisters-in-law, Audrey Bond (Joel), Edelle Bond (Mark), and Karen Cossette Bond (Gary), along with brother-in-law Richard Christianson, many cherished nieces and nephews, as well as an abundance of special friends and Labradors who loved her dearly.
Sue was a devoted friend to many and a true ray of sunshine, always laughing and ready with a kind word. I am unable to recall Sue ever being angry, or even saying anything mean, but she also was unwilling to tolerate nonsense. She was always jovial, and she made fabulous French toast.
My condolences to those who loved Sue β especially her beloved son, Danny. She will certainly be missed, but she has left a legacy that will live on through her writing, her grandkids, and her prized pups.
Note: I did my best to write this tribute from memory and information gleaned here and there. I was unable to remember her exact title at the University of Tulsa (I believe it was at the Accounting Office), and I was unable to recall where she attended school. If anyone would like to message me this information I'll be happy to correct anything else I might have got incorrect. (Special thanks to those who reached out to make this better). π
