Lamont James Christensen, son of LaVon and Nancy (Andersen) Christensen, was born on July 18, 1963, in Harlan, Iowa. Lamont was baptized at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Harlan, Iowa and confirmed at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irwin, Iowa. He attended school at Irwin-Kirkman where he graduated in 1982. Lamont went on to Wayne State College where he received his degree in education in 1987, but his true love was farming.
Lamont married his high school sweetheart, Shelly Barry, on August 10, 1985. They created a beautiful life on the farm with their two children, Dustin and Kaitlyn. He started farming with his father-in-law where he absolutely loved the fall and spending time in the combine during harvest. He loved getting new farm equipment and was looking forward to driving his new combine this fall. Along with crop farming, he spent hours with his hogs and was a seed distributor for Miller and Kruger.
Lamont had a strong friend group that he loved dearly. Through the years, there were many pranks pulled on one another followed by a good story and laughs at Jack’s Service Station. While he wasn’t the best shot, he liked to go hunting. He was a competitive card player who loved the games of poker and pitch. He enjoyed many vacations with his wife, family, and friends, but one of his favorite things to do was to knock his children off a tube while boating at the Ozarks. Lamont had a knack for helping others. He was president of the Shelby County Pork Producers and served on the Glendale Rosman Golf Course Board. He also volunteered for the Irwin Fire and Rescue as an EMT and firefighter.
Throughout his life, Lamont had a strong passion for all things sports. In his younger years, he was found playing baseball and slow and fast pitch softball. He was often found reading golf magazines in hopes to improve his golf game. Lamont was an avid Iowa State, Royals, and Vikings fan, even though he watched losing seasons year after year. He had a passion for coaching, especially his children. He would never miss a sporting event and always had a few words of advice after each game. Lamont was the biggest supporter of his children and loved cheering on their teams, especially when they went to state.
The last few years, Lamont was seen playing with and loving his grandchildren. He always had a new story, picture, or video to tell or show off about something that they had done. His face would always light up when he talked about them because he was so proud. Lamont loved to take them in the combine and his ATV.
Lamont is preceded in death by his mother- and father-in-law, Milton and Ruth Ann Barry. He is survived by his wife Shelly; children Dustin and his wife Miranda of Madrid, Iowa; Kaitlyn and her husband Martin McAlister of Coon Rapids, Iowa; four grandchildren, Charlotte, Declan, Amelia, and Margaret; parents, LaVon and Nancy Christensen of Harlan, Iowa; brother Daniel and wife EAnn of Defiance, Iowa; sister-in-law Cyndi Groshong and husband Tony of Cambridge, Nebraska; sister-in-law Stacy Rosonke and husband Terry of Norwalk, Iowa; nieces and nephews; other family members and many, many friends.
Funeral Services will be Wednesday, September 28th at 2PM at the Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Harlan. Visitation will be Tuesday, September 27th from 5pm to 8pm at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Irwin. The Pauley Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
