Howard B. Christensen, age 76 of New Glarus, Wisconsin, took his place among the generations on July 18, 2024. He was born on November 7, 1947 in Wausau, Wisconsin to Howard W. and Elizabeth (Compton) Christensen. He pursued a lifelong interest in the Humanities with special emphasis on European history and languages, graduating with BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Following the "Prague Spring" in 1968 he served in the US Army in West Germany, stationed as a Russian linguist on the Bavarian-Czech border.  In 1973 he met the love of his life, Marilyn Moeller, originally of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They were married on October 18, 1975 in Madison, Wisconsin, establishing a home and raising their family in the Village of New Glarus, Green County. They had celebrated 48 years of marriage. For over thirty years Howard worked as Coordinator of Continuing Medical Education at Meriter Hospital (formerly Madison General Hospital) in Madison prior to his retirement in 2009.

He actively shared his musical talents, organizing and leading performances in south-central Wisconsin of the Max Drexler Bavarian Brass Band for 50 years and culminating in the creation of a CD recording entitled Poet and Peasant in 2017. In New Glarus Howard was a long-time singer with the Maennerchor and the Jodlerklub and acted in the title role of the community's open-air German language production of Friedrich Schiller's Wilhelm Tell for over a quarter century. He enjoyed being outdoors during all four seasons and would likely be found in later years taking early morning walks with Marilyn, playing a round of golf with friends at Edelweiss, or raising vegetables in his large garden at home, where he felt close to his creator. He loved his family and pursued a lifelong interest in genealogy, carefully documenting some ten generations of his family's origins in Scandinavia and Great Britain, as well as Marilyn's family roots in Holstein. He admired the virtues of simplicity, fairness and humility. He was an individual close to the earth, given to a keen appreciation for beauty, humanity and life's many blessings.

Howard is survived by his wife Marilyn Christensen of New Glarus; daughter Marnie Christensen, son-in-law Jochen Reich, and granddaughter Linnea Reich, all of Freiburg, Germany; son Per Christensen of Kansas City, MO; sister Nancie Brodhead of Santa Fe, NM; brother Richard Christensen (Peggotty) of Issaquah, WA; sister-in-law Suzi Moeller of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

He was preceded in death by his parents; aunt Helen Compton; sister Karen; a stillborn son; in-laws Ralph and Mildred Moeller; and brothers-in-law David Brodhead and Richard and Vernon Moeller.

Memorials may be directed to Wisconsin Public Radio at 821 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706 or to the New Glarus Home at 600 2nd Avenue, New Glarus, WI 53574.

A private graveside memorial service will take place at the East Primrose Cemetery, north of New Glarus, in view of south-central Wisconsin's highest point, Blue Mound, on a fine day.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. The family requests no plants or flowers.

The Zentner-Beal Funeral Home of New Glarus is assisting the family.