ROY WILLARD CHRISTOPHER -PURPLE HEART RECIPIANT

Roy Willard was born August 10, 1910 in Medina, North Dakota  He was the 3rd child of 11 children born to Inga Lydia Olsen and Carl Christopher.  He attended elementary school and High School all. four years there.  His father often wrote about him in the columns of the Peterson Township section of the Medina Citizen Newspaper:

Those who received 100 per cent       .

in spelling last week were:

Nellie Peterson, Frances Todd,
Elof Lundstedt, Malcolm Peter-
son, Caroline Gahl, Anna Gah l
Roy _ ,Christopher and James

Todd.~·           .'             .~ 

____________________________

 :~ Roy Christopher visited over\
in Kidderr county a few days

last week and while gone traded a;

 Remington shotgun for a Hop-' '
Ikins & Allen rifle, and seems to:

I be well pleased with the deal. I 

 Roy Christopher got home

from the Twin Cities On

last Thursday He also visited
in northern Minnesota while

gone, taking in some of the
famous summer resorts, such

as the Breezy Point, Lost Is-
land Lake and No Man's

[Land.___________. __ ~

; Roy Christopher and John
Peterson are employed with the
Bell Telephone Co.

 ________________________________ . __ ~

Roy was a member of the North Dakota National Guard while living in Medina. He worked for the Bell Telephone Company (1929). Roy enjoyed all outdoor activities especially hunting and fishing. He once made the remark that the Army liked farm boys as they were usually sharp shooters. 

Prior to joining the United States Army, Roy moved to California to work in the defense plants, returning to Montana when he was called to active duty. He was assigned to Troop E. 91 st Reconnaissance Squadron. He was a tank mechanic stationed in Italy. He advanced to the office of Staff Sergeant. Roy was killed at Pietranala, Mount Beni, Italy on Feb. 20, 1945 during World War II. 

He is buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno,
California, the same place his brother, Vernon, was buried the previous year. 

The Purple Heart Award was issued to Roy posthumously honoring his sacrifice in defense of his country and was sent along with a letter to his father on April 20, 1945.. The letter read:           "My Dear Mr.Christopher:

The President has requested me in inform you that the Purple Heart 

has been awarded posthumously to your son, Staff Sergeant 

Roy W. Christopher, Cavalry, who sacrificed his life in defense of his

country.The medal, which you will receive shortly, is of slight

intrinsic value, but rich with the tradition for which Americans are 

so gallantly giving their lives. The Father of our country, whose 

profile and coat  of arms adorn the medal, speaks from it across 

the centuries to the men who fight today for the proud freedom he

founded. Nothing the War Department can do or say will in any

sense repair the loss of your loved one. He has gone, however, in

honor and in the goodly company of patriots. Let me, in 

communicating to you the country's deep sympathy, 

also express to you its gratitude for his valor and devotion."

His brother, Ken visited the graves of his two brothers at the 

Golden Gate Cemetery and played his harmonica for them. 

On the map of the cemetery, Ken wrote the following sentiment 

noting the day he visited.

Thanks to Ken and his grandaughter Heather Stiles for sharing

 these articles with us. 

RUTH LILLIAN CHRISTOPHER

Ruth Lillian Christopher was born August 10, 1912 on a farm outside
Medina, North Dakota. Her parents were Carl and Inga (Olsen) Christopher. She was the
fourth child, but first girl of eleven children. With so many children, Ruth was expected
to take care of the younger ones. She often said that they may not have had much on the
farm, but they were happy. Ruth was known for her sweet temperament, but Ken tells a
story of one time when she was so angry that she hit him on the head with a hoe. But her
son Dennis says: “Uncle Ken was a joker, as all of the Christopher boys were, so it shouldn’t
be a surprise that Ken would tell the story that my sweet, quiet mother hit him with a hoe
when they were growing up on the farm.”

Ruth attended high school in Medina and then went to a Seamstress

School with her friend Edna Gieseke. Both were employed in 

Jamestown, N. D.  Edna later married Ruth's brother Glenn. Ruth 

worked in a boarding house where she met A. G. (Anton Gerhardt)

Skofstad at the dining table. A. G. worked as a mechanic, then as shop 

foreman for Stutsman County Implement. They were married June 4, 1933.

 Ruth and A. G. had three children, 
Richard Allen ( October 31, 1934-Dec. 7, 1934)
Dennis Earl (March31, 1941) and 
James Russell (March 26, 1946).

Add caption

with sister Doris

   Ruth always had sewing and knitting projects going and she made many 
   baby quilts. There was always a small quilt ready to be sent to the newest baby. 
   She also made a really remarkable cowboy suit from a tablecloth for her son Jim.

with Grandpa Carl

the boys with dad and grandpa Carl

They lived in Jamestown until the summer of 1955 when they moved
to Polson, Montana and bought the Lakeview Court, (Resort Motel)
A. G.also went to work at the U.S. Plywood mill in Polson. Ruth continued 
to clean the cabins and make the beds. Dennis was in charge of the rental
boats and Jim emptied the trash cans and collected the bottles, which he
turned over to Uncle Albert Paul for the deposits.

Many times Ken and Ruby would bring Gloria and Margie and their boat
to Polson for a picnic and boat ride on the lake.  Albert and Doris with Esther, 
Barbara and Sharon would also join in. After a few years at the Lakeview Court, 
they sold it and moved to a house on Hillcrest in Polson. Ruth worked at the
Wardrobe Drycleaners  as a seamstress for several years.

In 1965, the two sons were no longer at home and A. G. had retired.
They moved to Greenacres, Washington, near Spokane, and bought a large 
lot with a tiny old house on it. They fixed up the old house and lived in that 
while A. G. built a new home. Both enjoyed having a large garden and at Greenacres.
They now had the space for it. Ruth grew her mother's favorite flowers, Sweet William,
as a tribute to her. 

With brother Ken

Ruth’s son Jim shares his memories of his mom; “Mom made fudge and Norwegian pastries during holidays.  She always complained about how quickly we ate up the cookies and would hide them so they would last longer.  She tried one time to make some divinity candy which tasted good but had a rather gummy consistency.  I thought I was very clever teasing Mom about inventing some kind of new glue.  The best treat during the holidays was Mom’s potato lefse.  She said she couldn’t make it thin enough but it always disappeared quickly. “

Dennis met Charlotte Webb at the Polson High School where they both attended.

They both attended University of Montana at Missoula and were married in Wallace,
Idaho. Their son David Eric was born to on July 25, 1969, at Fort Belvoir, Va.,
just outside of Washington, D.C. where Dennis was on active duty in the US ARMY
RESERVES. Both Charlotte and Dennis worked at the Pentagon for many years and
have now retired. David was a joy and a delight for Ruth and the rest of the family as he
grew up.

One story from son Dennis shows Ruth’s sweet nature: “Mom was, of course, delighted with her only grandson Dave and enjoyed the many times that Charlotte, Dennis, and Dave flew from the east coast and Jim drove from Seattle to spend some time with mom and dad in Greenacres.

 We usually used the visit to celebrate all the birthdaysand special holidays with lots of often silly presents. One memorable gift event we have on video shows mom opening a small jewelry box which held a small, modest broach. Unfortunately she was holding the box upside down so that the opened box only showed a straight pin which held the broach to the other side of a cotton bed. Sweet mom looked up and smiled at everyone and said, “Isn’t that nice!”  We all fell on the floor laughing because she hadn’t found the broach but liked the straight pin just fine.”

When David grew up he met his wife Andrea Duncan (December 7. 1970) 
while both were working in DC at the Department of Education. They married
in Seattle August 14, 1999, where they both worked for Microsoft for some time.
Dave now works for TMobile. Andrea left Microsoft to concentrate on her children,
and is finishing up her teaching credential, substituting at her kid’s  school, 
and also work with Girls on the Run at the same school. Their son Evan, was born 
August 24, 2005 in Seattle, daughter Zoe was born April 3, 2007.
Dennis, now retired, and Charolett live in Bothell, WA.

In the meantime, Ruth's son Jim, also attended Polson High School and was a trumpet
player in the Montana Centennial Band when it played at the Rose Bowl and  
toured Washington D.C. in 1964.

 In 1968 he graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art, enlisted in the US Army in November of 1968 and served a one year tour in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division. In 1970, he attended the University of Washington in Seattle while working as a display designer for several retail businesses. Jim was Production Manager for Lawrence & Scott, a lighting manufacturer and Asian art and accessories importer until he retired in 2008. He now lives in Edmonds, WA and spends time writing memoirs, genealogy articles and building guitars.

A.G. passed away on October 14, 1990 after 57 years of marriage to Ruth. Son Jim was at his side. Just over seven months later on May 22, 1991, Ruth passed away with son Dennis holding her hand.

For the Christopher cousins who missed the opportunity of knowing Aunt Ruth,
Ken tells us she was most like our cousin Esther.

Together Forever

Ken Christopher born 1916 will be 100 years old this year

Celebrating the life of Kenneth Orvin Christopher:



Kenneth Orvin Christopher was born Sep 7,1916 in Medina, North Dakota.
He was the 7th child born at home to Inga Lydia (Olsen) and Carl Christopher.
Carl wrote for the newspaper (The Medina Citizen) at the time. For the news on
the day Ken was born, Carl wrote : "Another new hunter joins the Christopher Camp."

All the children were born at home with the help of the local mid-wife,
Mrs. Peterson. Glenn Arthur Ken's oldest brother (b.Jan 7, 1904) was
11 at the time;Alfred Clifford, Mar. 24, 1907) was 9; Roy Willard
(b.Aug 10, 1910 )was 6; Ruth Lillian,(b.Aug 10, 1912) was 3; 
Lauren Ivan and Lester Carl, (b. Aug 5, 1914) were 2. Inga (b. June 28, 1882) 
was 34, and Carl was 40. Ken enjoyed the Christopher Camp as he was growing
up with even  more "little hunters" as they came along: Otto Vernon, (b. Dec. 19, 1918);
Robert Norman,(b. March 29, 1921); Doris Esther,(b.  June 10, 1923); 
and Don Edwin, (b.Sept 10, 1925.) 

All the Christopher children attended a one room school house, called the Peterson
School, out in the country about one mile away from their place. In the cold winter Ken
and the other Christopher kids often had to take the horse and sleigh to school. At one
time the Olsens (Inga's family) came to visit and ended up staying on the Christopher
property in a small house about 1/2 mile away.

Ken graduated from eighth grade and worked on the farm and as hired hand for
other ranchers and farmers around the area. There was no way for him to get into
Medina, the only High School in the area. He used to take the freight train from Medina
to Almont, N. D. sans ticket of course. It seems that Lauren, Lester and Kenneth all liked
to hop freights. They would get off just about anywhere to look for jobs of any kind.


One summer when he was in Almont, he worked for Mr. Jonathan
Pederson and became well acquainted with Mr. Pederson, his wife Sophia Amelia
(Surum), and their six children, all girls.


As he got older, he would "drift west" to work summer jobs such as at Oronda,
Washington, where he picked apples and did odd jobs. When he stopped in Arlee

to see his brothers, Lauren and Lester, he decided to stay and work for the local 

ranchers. He met Ruby Margaret Fleming (b.Oct 3, 1922) while he was working 

in Arlee.

When Ken and his friend Billy Westman saw a sign that said, "I Want You!"

and Uncle Sam pointing right at him, he was sure he was needed.  Billy was

too short and couldn't get in, but Ken signed up the very next day. 

Ken joined the Marines Corp in November of 1934 and served as an expert
rifleman, expert pistol, espert bayonet, and a coach. He stayed four years,
spending nearly his entire tour of duty on the USS Arizona. He sailed five
times to the Hawaiian Islands, twice to Midway Island, crossing the equator
three times and voyaging around the horn of South America--all during
peacetime.

Although he left active duty on November 20, 1938, he stayed in the reserves for
four years.While in California, (Richmond,) with his brother Vernon, he was doing odd
jobs from working on a feeryboat to working in the shipyard for an oil company.
He wrote to Ruby's dad to ask for her hand in marriage and when all the
arrangements could be made, Ruby came down to Richmond and they were married
on July 5, 1940.

He was called back into the Marines in the spring of 1941 but was stationed in
La Jolla, California at the time of Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7, 1941. Ken was often
quoted as saying he was the luckiest Marine alive because he was not on the
USS Arizona that was attacked four times that day and evetually sank, losing
1,177 of our brave Marines.

Their first child, Gloria Jean, was born Oct. 25, 1942 in Richmond, CA and the family
moved to Missoula where he worked for Zip Auto.

Ruby and Ken with Gloria  1944

 Then they decided to settle in
Arlee. He did farm and ranch work of his own and for his in-laws, the Flemings.
For entertainment Kenneth and Ruby belonged to the local Saddle Club and
participated in Omoksees.(square dance) He also liked to ride steers in the rodeo.
Sometime prior to 1944 he owned and operated a small cream station. He bought
the cream from local farmers, tested the butter fat, and sold it through contract to
the big creamery in Missoula.

Gloria

Marjorie Lee was born on May 1, 1946 in the St. Ignatius Hospital.

Margie

Margie, Lana Gloria and Goldie Christopher at a play day

Ken made sure that his girls got to spend plenty of time with their many cousins
especially in the summer months when school was out.  

Ruth, AG,Jim & Dennis Skofstad with Gloria, Margie and Ken

Ken build a two bedroom home on Finley Creek where they lived until about 1952.
Like many others in the area, Ken worked seasonal work for the Sugar Beet
plant in Missoula. They moved to a small 140 acre ranch north of Arlee where
he raised cows, horses, pigs, chickens, dogs, kids and an occasional cat.
At one point in time he milked 12 cows, one of which was named CBS
because she would put her head through the window to listen to the radio.
To supplement the family Ken worked at the Fish Hatchery located on
the Jocko River.

He came down with rheumatic fever around 1957-8. Recovery was slow,
taking about a year to regain his strength; he rode his horse, enjoyed his family
and probably still did more than he was supposed to. After recovery
he tried, but found he was unable to work in the cold, so the ranch was sold
and the family moved to Missoula around 1961and bought the "Sunshine Grocery."

While everyone liked the store business, they missed the country living and
through a series of trades were able to move back to Arlee to the same ranch.
In 1963 they moved into Arlee where they rented a house and owned
"The Fountain" where they made great hamburgers, served endless cups of coffee,
sold bus tickets, candy, and miscellaneous sundries. He even filled the position
of brand inspector for cattle being taken across the county line. He held down a
second job at the White Pine lumber mill where he commuted 26 miles each way
for two years.

Glen, Ruth Lauren, Lester, Ken and Bob

Christopher Brothers:  Lauren Bob, Ken in back  Lester and Glenn in front

Chrsitopher Cousins with their Uncle Ken and Uncle Bob and Aunt Lillian

Ken always encouraged family reunions, he always attended and paid attention to each
one in a special loving way.   He stayed in touch with everyone as best he could.
Once again, Ken built a new home, where they lived during the years Ken worked
as a custodian and bus driver for the Arlee School District. In 1978 at age 62, after
17 years, he took his well-deserved retirement.  Ken and Ruby moved to another
home he had built himself on their property on Flathead Lake at Kings Point. Sadly,
Ruby died May 13, of 1982 due to complications of diabetes.



Sometime after that Ken went back to North Dakota for a visit and found that Mildred
Pederson (b. April 6, 1921), one of Mr. Pederson's daughters, was single again as her
husband had passed away. They began writing to each other for a time. Ken married
Millie on July 11, 1987 and they lived in Polson, Montana for about 18 years.

Much of their retirement life was spent traveling around the United States visiting family and friends in a 5th wheeler or motor home. They enjoy their golden years in good health, enjoying visits from many family and friends.

 Unfortuanately the home on Kings Point was lost to a 4th of July fire that destroyed all they had. The home was quickly rebuilt and they lived there peacefully until 2009.

Juanita, Ken and Milllie

 Ken fell ill and passed away on April 7, 2009 at his daughter Marjorie’s home in Missoula with family members close by.


**personal note***  Goldie and I were fortunate to visit Ken at Margie's house a
few weeks before he died.He was not well enough to sit up or talk much, but when
we thanked him for all the memories of his playing his harmonica, he asked for it and
right then and there he played a little ditty for us....it was a very touching moment.

You may have such a  memory of this very special and loving man or photos you would like to add,  If so, send them to me by email ( lana.rankin@yahoo.com) and I will post it here on an update at a  later date..


Most of this information comes from my interview with Ken for his 90th Birthday. Some information comes from the Polson newspaper, "Valley Journal" Dec 8, 2004 where he was featured on the front page as the "Luckiest Marine Alive."

 

1936