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Mae Florence Christian, 92, Nichols
Obituaries · April 30, 2015



Mae Florence Christian, 92, died Wednesday, April 22, 2015, at her home in Nichols.

Funeral service were Friday, April 24, 2015, at the Christian Church in Nichols. Visitation was prior to services at the church. Burial was in the Nichols Cemetery. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.hendersonbarkerfuneralhome.com. Donations may be made in her memory to the Christian Church of Nichols. Also in her memory, you may plant a flower in the spring; hibiscus was one of her favorites but she never met a flower she didn’t like.

Mae was born Oct. 31, 1922, on a farm near Wilton, the daughter of Otto and Hilda Martin Schroeder. She went to the White Pigeon School where she prided herself on winning spelling bees. She left home at the age of 14 to keep house and tend others’ children, sleeping on closet floors. She moved to Rock Island, Ill., and was employed at the Arsenal, “the best job ever,” where she met Claude. She was united in marriage to Claude “Bill” Christian; they lived in Rock Island and Wilton and in 1957 moved to the farm in Nichols. A year later, Bill died of cancer, leaving Mae to rear her children, tend the farm, and work. She worked at Louis Rich, Roy’s Tap, Wink’s, and at the Lone Tree Care Center, as well as additional seasonal jobs. She retired from the care center when she was 80. Work was important to her and she would frequently end a conversation with, “Better let you go so you can get your work done.” She didn’t relish “free time” nor did she know what to do with it.

Survivors include three children: Joyce (John) Perkins of Des Moines, Connie (Frank) Hellenthal of Cedar Rapids, and Jerry Morrison of West Liberty; grandchildren Megan (Howard) Tempero, Joe Perkins, Amanda Hellenthal and Melissa (Bernard) Tan; and great-grandchildren: Rezin, Corbet, Islalucia and Aristella Tempero; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death were her parents and all her siblings: Ray, Wayne, Ray (Junior), Edna, Eugene and Darlene.

She was determined to stay on the farm until she died, which she did because of wonderful friends and neighbors.