Obituary of Louis Jack Christensen

Louis J. "Jack" Christensen, 90, of Camillus, NY for the past eight years, passed away on March 31, 2020. Jack was born on October 16, 1929 in Watertown, NY to Aura (Johnston) and Louis A. Christensen. After graduating from Gouverneur High School in 1948, he went on to receive his Physical Education degree at Brockport State in 1952. He entered into the U. S. Army in1952 and served his country until his honorable discharge in 1954. Jack married Rosalie Girard on January 17, 1953 at St. James Catholic Church in Gouverneur. After his discharge from the Army, he received his Masters Degree in Education from Springfield College. Jack then proceeded to have a thirty-three year career as a much admired teacher and coach in the Rochester City School District. Throughout his career, he coached high school football, basketball, and lacrosse. He was also the Asst. Baseball Coach at Monroe Community College from 1972 to 1994. He was the recipient of numerous awards throughout his very successful career. He was Director for the children's summer baseball program at Kodak for 15 years during the summer months. In his retirement, Jack and Rosalie enjoyed spending winters in New Smyrna Beach, Fla and summers back in their hometown of Gouverneur, NY. He loved his Boston RedSox, golfing, umpiring and playing softball, and having season tickets to Syracuse University football and basketball. Besides being an avid sports enthusiast, he also had a deep love of music. He played the trumpet for many years. It has been stated that Coach Chris was a true "gentleman" coach. To this day, he had remained very close to some of his past players as if they were family. Jack is predeceased in 2011 by the love of his life, Rosalie "Rollie" Girard Christensen. He is survived by two daughters, Zoe Ann (Gary) Gonza of Camillus, NY and Daria Jan Christensen of Norwood, MA; and son Louis "Chris" (Gina) Christensen of Pittsford, NY; and two granddaughters, Stephanie (Jacquie) Christensen of Rochester, NY and Shelby Christensen of Chicago, IL. Private services due to the pandemic were held on Friday, April 3, 2020 at French Funeral Home followed by a Mass at St. James Catholic Church with Fr. Lynch officiating. Burial will occur at St. James Cemetery in Gouverneur at a later date. A memorial service to celebrate his legacy will be held at a future date to be announced. Donations may be made in Jack's memory to St. James Catholic Church, Gouverneur or St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Camillus or In Christ New Hope Ministry, Inc., Henrietta, NY. Condolences may be shared online at www.frenchfuneralhomes.com.