George C. Christensen Jr. "Chris"

George C. "Chris" Christensen, Jr., 84, of Norristown PA, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, July 9th, 2016.  George was born in Youngsville, PA on July 20th, 1931 to Anna and George Christensen of Denmark, who emigrated to the US in the early 20th century. He was predeceased by his brothers Elmer and Andy, and his sister Ellen.

He joined the Navy on his 17th birthday and trained to be a corpsman, providing first-line treatment to soldiers wounded on the battlefield.  George received his initial medical training from a beautiful Navy nurse who later became his wife and the love of his life for 64 years.

George was deployed to Korea at the height of the conflict and was part of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir where 120,000 Chinese troops encircled 30,000 UN troops (the “Chosin Few”) for 17 days.  Heavy casualties were inflicted on both sides.  George was instrumental in saving many young men's lives.  The US troops were able to fight their way out.  George was awarded with two Purple Hearts for injuries he suffered by incoming shrapnel while performing his medical duties on the battlefield.  His body bore these scars and shrapnel fragments for the rest of his life.

George married Susan on April 17th, 1952 at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina.  They later moved to Norristown for career opportunities.  George was the production superintendent for the Norristown Water Company (later Keystone, now American Water) for 37 years, and was President of the Water Works Operators Association and received numerous awards in his field.  In his early career, he also “moonlighted” doing lab work at Sacred Heart Hospital to help support his young family.  In addition to Susan, George is survived by his children George Chris III, Mark, Karen, and Carl; grandchildren George Chris IV, David, Josh, Daniel, Mark, and Alexander; and great-grandchildren Isabella Hope, George Chris V, and Philip.    

A viewing will be held on Monday, July 18th at St. Titus Catholic Church, East Norriton from 10-11AM, followed by a funeral mass, with burial at the Washington Crossing Veteran's Cemetery near Newtown PA at 1:30 pm.  A celebration of his life will follow at 2 pm at the nearby Washington Crossing Inn at 1295 General Washington Memorial Boulevard in Washington Crossing, PA.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the American Diabetes Association, on their website linked via  HYPERLINK "http://tinyurl.com/gccjrada"http://tinyurl.com/gccjrada

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