John "Jack" J. Christman

Obituary

John "Jack" J. Christman, age 87 of Glenwood, died Saturday, November 21, 2020 at Knute Nelson Care Center in Alexandria. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 12, 2021 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glenwood with Father Joe Vandeberg officiating. Visitation will be Friday, June 11th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the funeral home in Glenwood and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Inurnment will be in the Calvary Cemetery in Glenwood. Arrangements are with the Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Glenwood. 

John “Jack” Christman was born July 20, 1933 to parents John Jacob and Mary Lousie (Bisek) Christman in Reno Township, Pope County, Minnesota. Jack was welcomed home by sisters, Margaret, Harriet and Agatha. He grew up and attended school in rural Pope County. On June 18, 1956, Jack was united in marriage to Darlene Sachs at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glenwood. Jack and Darlene made their home in Glenwood and were blessed with four children: Judy, Jean, Jackie and John.

Jack was no stranger to hard work; he was truly a “Jack of all Trades”. His first job as a youngster was at Lakeside Ballroom. Later, he went to work for the City of Glenwood as foreman in the Public Works Department, a position he held for 30 years until his retirement in 1997. In addition, Jack ran his own backhoe and dump truck service, delivering black dirt, gravel, and digging graves for over 30 years.

Jack was civic-minded and for many years he served as the sexton of the Calvary and Glenwood cemeteries, was president of the Glenwood Cemetery board, served on the HRA board, and was a Glenwood City Commissioner. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, a volunteer fireman, and a first responder with the ambulance crew.

One of Jack’s favorite pastimes was tending his beautiful flowers. He spent countless hours patiently caring for his many beautiful hanging baskets of petunias, which he proudly displayed each summer. In his later years, Jack enjoyed sitting at his picnic table playing cards with his children and grandchildren and visiting with friends to keep up with things going on in Glenwood. If not at his picnic table, you could find him cruising around town on his John Deere lawn tractor watching all the road work and visiting.

In recent years Jack’s health declined. He passed away November 21, 2021 at Knute Nelson Care Center in Alexandria at the age of 87 years as a result of Covid-19. His Mass of Christian Burial was delayed several months due to the pandemic. He is greatly missed by his wife of 64 years, Darlene; daughters: Judy (Joe) Beran of Lake Madison, SD and Marco Island, FL, and Jackie (Mike) Dero of Naples, FL; son, John (Ruth Beam) Christman of Glenwood; 11 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren who called him Papa Jack and Grandpa; nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Jean; granddaughter, Jillian; sisters, Margaret (and husband Marvin) Fluegel, Harriet (and husband Duayne) Gaffaney, and Agatha (and husband, Paul) Tauber; along with an infant brother, Lawrence.