Helen Christiansen

Salt Lake City, UT - Our loving mother, Helen Elizabeth Ward Christiansen, 100, passed away June 5, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah, peacefully at her home. She was born October 1, 1925 in Greenbackville, Accomack, Virginia, to Elton Lester Ward and Bertie Elinor Russell.

In 1933, a rare nor'easter struck and flooded the Eastern Shore of Virginia. This caused Helen's family to move north to Wilmington, Delaware. She graduated from Pierre S. duPont High School. Helen worked in a 5 & 10 Cent Store after school. One rainy afternoon five soldiers walked into the store. Helen was asked out on a date by one of the soldiers for the following Wednesday. She waited for her date to arrive, but he didn't come. Instead, another soldier that she had met that rainy day, came back to the store and sat down at the soda counter. That soldier, Richard, took her on a date because Richard knew the character of the other soldier and knew that he would not show up.

Helen married Richard J. Christiansen, April 2, 1945 at Newport, Delaware. In 1946 Richard was discharged from the Army, and Helen came west, making Utah her home for the next 80 years. Helen was a stay at home mom and later worked for the ZCMI Department Store for 40 years. Richard and Helen raised four sons which gave her the posterity of 10 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; and 3 great great grandchildren.

Richard died October 6, 1982 and Helen was a widow for 44 years. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother and sisters-in-law: Edwin L. (Betty) Ward and Barbara Newton Ward. She considered Richard's siblings as her own brothers and sisters: Irma (Varian) Box; Delma (Easton) Leslie; Rellus (Lila) Christiansen; Vernon (Beverly) Christiansen; Merlin (Jean) Christiansen; Mary Euphemia (LaNell) Case; and she outlived them all. At the time of Helen's death, she was the oldest living descendant of her maternal grandparents, Samuel Tilton Russell and Rosa Blanche Dryden.

She is survived by her sons: Gerald R. (Dolly) Christiansen; Gary R. Christiansen; Boyd J. (Denise) Christiansen; Guy R. Christiansen. In the greater Wilmington, Delaware area: nephew, Michael Ward; niece, Debbie Ward; brother, Donald R. Ward; niece, Kim (Harry) Blunt and children, Lauren, Stephanie, Jessica; niece, Tracy (Paul) Blunt and children, Taylor, Madison; nephew, Jeff (Vicki) Ward and children, Michael, Megan. 

A viewing will be held Friday June 12, 2026, 6:00 - 8:00pm at Russon Mortuary, 295 North Main, Bountiful, Utah. An additional viewing will be held prior to the funeral service on Saturday, June 13 at 9:30am; funeral service to follow at 11:00am. The Saturday viewing and funeral will be held at the Salt Lake City Twenty-Ninth Ward, 1148 West 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Burial later that afternoon in Richard's childhood hometown: Emery City Cemetery, 297 West 525 North, Emery, Utah.

Services will be streamed live on Russon Mortuary & Crematory Facebook page and this obituary page.