Henry James Christensen Henry James Christensen (Jim), devoted husband, father and grandfather, passed away on September 1, 2009 at the age of 82 after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Jim was a third generation Bay Area native. He was born on July 19, 1927 in Oakland, California where he was raised with his two sisters. Carol, June, "Jimmy" and their parents were very close and enjoyed many fun-filled adventures and experiences together throughout their lives. Jim attended Wildwood Elementary and Piedmont High School. In his senior year, Jim was MVP for the Piedmont Basketball team. Piedmont High School assemblies were a huge hit when Jim's trio performed with "Jimmy" on piano and singing, Dick Saylor on bass, and John Healy on drums. After graduating from high school in 1945, Jim was accepted into the Naval Air Corps V12 and V5 pilot training program. After his WWII military service, Jim entered Stanford University as a student in Civil Engineering. He became a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and forged lifelong friendships during his years at Stanford. Following college, Jim joined his father, Henry James Christensen, in the family general construction business in Oakland. The company was involved in building many Bay Area structures, such as the Oakland Auditorium, Piedmont High School and Middle School, and many other warehouses, factories and retail stores. Jim was a member of the Lions' Club, the Masonic Lodge and a charter member of the Golden Gate Chapter #2 of the American Society of Professional Estimators in Oakland. He worked in the construction industry for more than 60 years. For five of those years he was with Kaiser Engineers in Mandeville, Jamaica and Sikeston, Missouri. After a period of retirement, Jim joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for whom he traveled extensively to various disaster sites. Jim was confirmed as an adult in the Episcopal Church. He maintained a deep faith throughout his life and was a long standing member of Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in Orinda. He was married for fifty-two years to the love of his life, Janet Duffel Christensen, an elementary school teacher. Together they raised four adored children who were the center of their lives. In his earlier years, Jim enjoyed many sports, especially downhill skiing, hunting, tennis and golf. He loved music of all genres. He was happiest when singing the blues in front of a band or playing the piano as he entertained friends at parties. Jim was a talented performer with a fun-loving spirit and a good sense of humor. He is survived by his wife Janet Christensen of Orinda; son Henry James Christensen III of Orinda; daughter Catherine Siri ,her husband Paul Siri and their children Alexandra and Olivia Siri of Redwood City; daughter Elizabeth Reed Christensen and her husband Robert Travis of San Ramon; daughter Carolyn Stenovec , her husband P. Andrew Stenovec and their children Hannah, John, Lucy and Sarah Stenovec of Orinda; sister Carol Platt and her husband Bill Platt of Rancho Mirage, California and Reno, Nevada; and sister June Tutton and her husband Stanly Tutton of Snowholmish, Washington. He is predeceased by his parents Evalyn Reed Christensen and Henry James Christensen of Piedmont and Orinda. Jim was a true gentleman with a loving soul and great enthusiasm for life. He will be dearly missed and his memory will be cherished. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, September 9 at 11:30 at Saint Stephen's Church, 66 St. Stephen's Drive, Orinda, CA 94563. In lieu of flowers, a donation to Saint Stephen's Church would be appreciated. Published in San Francisco Chronicle on September 6, 2009