Robert Christen age 72, of Holdrege, NE, passed away on September 22, 2026, in
Holdrege, NE.
Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 10:00 AM at St.
Anselm’s Catholic Church in Anselmo, NE. Burial will follow in the St. Anselm’s
Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Holdrege Lions Club. A visitation and time to
greet the family will be held on Friday, September 25th, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM with Vigil
Service at 6:00 PM at St. Anselm’s Catholic Church. Govier Brothers Mortuary is in
charge of arrangements. Online words of condolence may be left at govierbrothers.com
Robert Patrick “Bob” Christen was born on June 12, 1954, in Broken Bow, NE, the third child of Richard J. and Kathleen A. (Condon) Christen. He grew up on the family farm southwest of Anselmo and attended St. Anselm’s Catholic Church where he received all of his sacraments.
Bob attended Anselmo Elementary School from kindergarten through 6th grade, and grades 7th – 12th in Merna, NE, graduating in May 1972 from Anselmo/Merna High School. As obvious by his obsession with cars in high school, Bob chose to further his education in this field. He attended Mid-Plains Vocational Technical College in North Platte, NE, graduating with an associate degree in Automotive Mechanics. His first job was at Bob Strong Chevrolet in Kearney. Bob was employed for several years by Kearney State College, now the University of Nebraska at Kearney as a maintenance custodian. During this time, he took flying lessons and was very determined to become a pilot. Not only did he get his license, but he was also the very first person in Nebraska to earn a license having only one eye. Bob went on to earn an instructor’s rating. Teaching others to fly gave him immense pleasure. When his students earned their license, he would be so proud. He considered it a great personal accomplishment. He taught flying for a few years in Phoenix, Arizona and returned to Nebraska. Bob showed his daring side when he was hired by a gentleman who purchased planes sight unseen, some of these planes were in less than perfect condition. His next job was with Anderson Brothers Plumbing & Heating in Kearney and Holdrege. He worked for a short while at Bamford Inc.
On July 3, 1999, Bob was united in marriage to Patricia Canner in Holdrege, NE. She had two daughters, Holly and Wendelin, from a previous marriage, and Bob was so happy to become their stepfather. Bob and Patricia have resided in Holdrege for the last 27 years. They became Lions in 2016. First Bob and Patricia a few months later, they have enjoyed being members of the Holdrege Lions Club and were excited to host the service event, “Family Fun in the Sun” for the last seven years.
Bob enjoyed family, fishing, visiting with friends, and especially homemade ice cream. All of his nieces and nephews were special to Uncle Bob, as were his own grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One of his most cherished memories was being godfather to his niece Elizabeth Hagedorn.
Bob joined the Knights of Columbus Chapter in Broken Bow.
He loved teaching kids to ride bicycles, to garden, to fish, and learn carpentry. Nothing motivated him more than being told he couldn’t do something. Bob was a very strong-willed and determined individual, but he was also very generous and possessed a heart of gold.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents Richard and Kathleen Christen, brother William “Bill” Christen, sister Alice (Christen) Hagedorn, and brother-in-law John Popp.
Bob is survived by his wife Patricia, daughters Holly (Celso) Almazan, and Wendelin Canner, grandchildren Jose (Janine) Almazan, Eric (Paige) Almazan, and Daneca Almazan, great-grandchildren Claude & Callie Almazan, brothers Paul (Cindy) Christen, Matt (Melba) Christen, Mark (Robin) Christen, sisters Peggy Popp, Rosemary Hemningsen, and Jeanne (Chris) Gentry, several nieces, nephews, grandnieces & nephews, and great-grand nieces and nephews.
