Christa Janel Theilen

Christa Janel Theilen

On the morning of July 8, 2024, Christa Janel Theilen passed away in the presence of loved ones after a lengthy illness.

Christa was born in Sioux Falls, SD on January 29, 1969, to Norma and Duane Theilen, shortly after which the family moved to Brainerd, MN where Christa and two younger sisters were raised, enjoying an idyllic childhood with the Graydon Avenue gang.

Early family trips out West visiting national parks from Craters of the Moon to Yellowstone, Glacier to Grand Canyon inspired a love for travel, and forged a connection with landscapes, plants, and animals that endured a lifetime.

As a young girl, Christa was unable to resist the urge to stand ankle deep in the icy snow melt rushing through the gutters in the spring, signaling the beginning of a life-long love affair with water. She didn’t discriminate between lakes, rivers, streams or oceans, and was never a fair weather swimmer; often into frigid bodies of water any time of day, even in the rain.

Christa honored all living beings from family and friends, to neighbors, coworkers, and strangers on the street. She regarded both forests and houseplants with the same awe and wonder, and cherished all creatures great and small, right down to the occasional spider she let live in her bathtub.

Christa was educated in the Brainerd Public Schools, received a Bachelors Degree from the University of Minnesota, a Masters Degree from St. Cloud State University, and later on earned a certificate in desert landscaping at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Scottsdale, AZ.

During her college years, Christa’s wanderlust led her abroad. She studied for a time in Toledo, Spain and used the opportunity to travel to Delmenhorst, Germany, making the first step in reuniting the Theilen family that had been separated since the 1920s when her grandfather, Ernest, immigrated as a young man to the United States. It was during that time studying abroad that she visited the recently demolished Berlin Wall, a historic event she marked by chiseling out a chunk of the wall herself.

Christa’s adventurous spirit afforded her a colorful array of odd jobs including stints on organic farms in both Italy and Minnesota, and seasonal work in Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks. Her primary vocation, however, was teaching.

As a teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) she taught students ranging from elementary school children in Minnesota to post-secondary learners at both Arizona State University, and Portland State University in Oregon. While living in Portland, she supplemented her adjunct teaching career with a unique position as the English language tutor for the Portland Timbers soccer club. Her relationship with some of the players and their families inspired Christa to take an English teaching job in Santiago, Chile in 2014.

Christa’s life followed a meandering path, and an authentic one. She lived freely with an open heart, weighed down neither by possessions nor obligations. Christa was ever mindful of how her actions impacted the greater good, and prioritized staying true to her core values over gaining material wealth or social status.

After decades of making her home in locales from the Sonoran Desert to the Pacific Northwest, she returned to her roots in Minnesota in 2020 where she was embraced by family, friends, and the lakes that she loved.

Christa was preceded in death by her father, Duane, and is survived by her mother, Norma, sisters Michelle and Karla, her brother-in-law Chris Knudson, and one nephew Henry Theilen Towne. Extended family includes many aunts and uncles, cousins, and members of the Theilen family in Germany. Besides her family of origin, Christa created a family of friends, a vast network that spanned the globe. She will be deeply missed.

Those wishing to contribute to a memorial may send a donation in her name to the Babinski Foundation Animal Shelter in Pequot Lakes, MN or any organization that benefits educational needs of children or underserved populations.

A private family burial with graveside service was held on July 12, and a Celebration of Life will be held in the Spring of 2025; date to be determined.