Suzanne Hasselquist Christiansen

February 16, 1926 – July 6, 2010

Sue was born Gertrude Suzanne Hasselquist in Moline, Illinois, on Feb. 16, 1926. She was the third of four children born to Martha and Lennart Hasselquist, and showed a keen interest in art from a very young age. Sue’s grade school teacher asked her to paint a mural and was taken aback when Sue chose as her subject “The Murder of Colonel Davenport.” In her teen years, she loved her horse Toby. Sue attended Augustana College, then transferred to the University of Illinois, where she affiliated with Gamma Phi Beta sorority, served as art editor of the yearbook, and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting.

Sue met Jack Christiansen of Oak Park, Illinois, at the University of Illinois, and the couple were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moline on March 12, 1950. Sue worked as an illustrator for Scott, Foresman & Co. while Jack completed a master’s degree in Civil Engineering at Northwestern University. Sue and Jack moved to the Northwest and Bainbridge Island with their first child in 1952. Four more children followed. Jack designed and built their home at Fletcher Bay in which they have lived since 1965.

Sue was a member of Bainbridge Arts and Crafts for many years, and then Collective Visions Gallery in Bremerton. She worked in every art medium, including ceramics, sculpture, wood carving, pen and ink, collage, watercolor and oils. She founded a weekly life drawing class. She left for her family, friends and community the incredible treasure of her work.

Sue loved to play tennis, and ballet, hula and ballroom dance. She could do a backbend all the way down and back up. She swam in the Puget Sound all year round, and would stay in until she was blue. She loved animals, in particular her two burros, Esau and Easter. Sue and Jack traveled the world from Antarctica to the Arctic, and their trips were meticulously documented in Sue’s journals with daily logs and sketches. The Olympic Mountains were their backyard playground. Sue climbed the seven highest peaks in the Pacific Northwest, and performed her signature arabesque on top of each. St. Helens erupted during their ascent of Mt. Adams in 1980. Jack’s photos of Sue with St. Helens exploding behind her appeared in National Geographic, and are displayed at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Sue’s spirit of adventure was shared with many wonderful and close friends, and she touched the lives of everyone around her with her warmth and openness.

Sue passed away on July 6th, 2010, after a fall. Sue is survived by her loving husband Jack; her five children, Janet (Torre) Jorgenson, Karin (Shigeki) Kajita, Robert Christiansen, John (Vivian) Christiansen, and Nelda (Clif) Swiggett; and her six grandchildren, Eric, Noel, Dylan, Karen, Jack and Aaron. She was preceded in death by her beloved siblings Marnie, Dick and Betty. The legacy of her loving spirit will carry on.

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