Shelly Christiansen

Shelly Jean (Shriner) Christiansen

Shelly Jean (Shriner) Christiansen left us far too soon on October 29, 2024. Shelly was born on March 13, 1965 in Rawlins, Wyoming, to Larry and Jean Shriner. Her childhood was spent camping and fishing in the mountains of Wyoming. She attended Mountain View Elementary school. She was involved in 4-H for 10 years which included sewing, piano recitals, and style review and showing her dog Taco. Taco was a Tri-color Sheltie who won grand champion several years, based on showmanship and obedience…Shelly would love dogs her entire life, always having Shelties. By middle school, Shelly began to excel in athletics, where she formed many lifelong friendships. She played volleyball, basketball, track and frequented the mountains in the winter to ski with her family. The other treasured activity was time on the boat, waterskiing on Seminoe reservoir and fishing many other lakes and rivers.

In high school Shelly continued playing volleyball and basketball and discovered her love for art, especially drawing. She was involved in many activities and clubs. Shelly’s senior year, her volleyball team was the AA Wyoming State Runner-up. Shelly excelled in math and science and wanted to further her education in the new field of computer science. Shelly was a member of National Honor Society and graduated from Rawlins High School with honors.

Shelly went to Casper College in Casper, Wyoming to play volleyball and study Computer Science. She stayed at Casper one year, spent the next year at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, before transferring to DeVry Institute in Phoenix Arizona to complete her degree in Computer Science. While excelling in her studies and being at the top of her class, she also met her lifelong partner, Pat Christiansen. Outside of class they were always playing intramural sand volleyball or basketball games, and enjoyed many great rock concerts together with their friends (and dancing at the Devil House by ASU). In her journal she wrote, “I went there for my career, and did not go there to find a marriage partner, but that is what happened.” Shelly graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems, and was offered a job at Hughes Aircraft out on the beach in California…but as fate would have it, she turned down this opportunity and was then hired by Burlington Northern Railroad in St. Paul and made the move north with Pat. Shelly and Pat settled in Hudson to begin their life together, getting married in 1993 and building the family residence on Trout Brook Road shortly after where they have lived ever since.

Shelly worked for Burlington Northern from 1988-95, then moved to St. Paul Companies Insurance for two years. She then worked as a consultant for Analysts International Corporation, consulting in the Information Technology department at 3M. Throughout this time, outside of work volleyball was a continuous activity, with spring-summer-fall-winter leagues, sand and indoors – both with friends in Hudson area leagues, and work leagues in St. Paul. Pat also introduced her to his family traditions of BWCA camping in northern Minnesota with the Christiansen side of the family, and Green Bay Packer tailgating at Lambeau Field with the kids and friends. As Shelly’s sister Jan and family lived close by in Chanhassen MN for a number of years before returning to Wyoming, we shared many camping trips and other fun events with our families together.

Shelly very much loved to get back west to Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, and always missed the mountains…there were many fun trips to visit family and friends, and introduce Pat and the kids to the part of the country she loved the most. One of her very favorite places to visit was Lake Marie, at the base of the Medicine Bow mountains outside of Saratoga Wyoming. Almost every time she was back to the Rawlins area, we would need to go visit Lake Marie and marvel at the natural beauty. There were many memorable family reunion trips to Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho with Shelly’s sister Jan’s family, her mom Jean, and the Piche side of the family with Shelly’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Our kids always loved these trips, and very much felt connected to Wyoming even though they lived in Wisconsin.

Alec was born in 1996, followed by Kylee in 1998 and Erin in 2000, and Shelly never looked back…In 2000 after Erin’s arrival, Shelly decided to take on the most rewarding challenge of all and become a stay at home mom leaving her IT career – she absolutely loved being a mom. Shelly’s mom had moved to Hudson as well, so our family had the benefit of not only the Christiansen grandparents and family nearby in Amery, but also Grandma Jean living very close. Grandma Jean was an integral part of the kids young lives, and also huge support for Shelly. When we sadly lost Jean far too young as well in 2005, Shelly always kept the memory of Jean with her in her collection and love for frogs.

As the kids began school activities, Shelly loved to volunteer, first playing taxi getting kids to school events, traveling sports, scouts and dance. She volunteered to support the Athletic Director at St. Patrick’s School, then later became Athletic Director. She greatly enjoyed her time with her fellow volunteers, ensuring the kids experience was the best it could be. But she particularly enjoyed coaching youth volleyball…she coached both her girls in the younger years and multiple teams, then became a board member for Croix Attack, the local club volleyball team.

All three kids shared Shelly’s love of volleyball. They played on Croix Attack teams, and Kylee and Erin played varsity volleyball for Hudson HS. Shelly was a non-stop cheerleader for all of the kids in their chosen sports and activities, whether soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, dance, scouts, or music – she loved every minute of it, and we met so many great friends with all of the basketball and volleyball parents we spent so much time with. Her cheerleading support also continued with her nephew Janson and niece Janey in Wyoming, always following their sports as best she could whether via internet streaming or personal visits.

Beyond traveling in Wyoming and the west, Shelly enjoyed traveling in the Alps in Bavaria Germany, Austria, and Italy with the family on several trips, and confirmed that the best Pesto is indeed in Cinque Terre – also being a trooper and driving the rental car across Tuscany that Pat was too tall to drive…and we learned it is not bad to get “lost” in Montelcino!

Shelly fiercely loved seeing her kids chosen adult passions…watching Alec play guitar and recently get married, seeing Kylee graduate from SCAD with her fashion design degree and move back to Minneapolis pursuing her career, and seeing all of Erin’s photography and art projects in Seattle – there is not a room in the house without family art of some kind.

Shelly is survived by her husband Patrick, son Alec (Morgan) of Baldwin Wisconsin, daughter Kylee of Minneapolis Minnesota, daughter Erin of Seattle Washington, sister Jan (Jason) Adair of Laramie Wyoming, nephew Janson Adair, niece Janey Adair, and many treasured extended family members throughout the west and midwest, and so many great friends.

Shelly is preceded in death by her father Lauren Lee Shriner, and her mother Roberta Jean (Piche) Shriner.

Memorial Gathering 4-7 PM Monday 11/4 at O’Connell Funeral Home. 520 S. 11th St. Hudson.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to River Valley Charities, www.rivervalleycharities.com.