Civic Leader Elizabeth Christensen Dies
Elizabeth Bastanchury Eadington Christensen, who was active in civic organizations and was the granddaughter of Orange County settlers, died Wednesday at her home in Brea after a long illness. She was 73.
Mrs. Christensen was the founder of the St. Jude Hospital Guild and Damas de Caridad, a support group for the Fullerton hospital.
Mrs. Christensen was the granddaughter of Domingo and Maria Bastanchury, who settled in the Sunny Hills area near Fullerton in the 1860s. Domingo Bastanchury developed a sheep ranch covering thousands of acres. Around the turn of the century, he converted half of the land into the largest citrus orchard in the world.
Mrs. Christensen is survived by her husband, Soren Otto Christensen; a daughter, Elizabeth Merhab; four sons, Thomas, Robert, William and George Eadington; three stepsons, James, Stephen and Scott Christensen; and 13 grandchildren.
Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Friday, and Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, both at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Brea. Burial will follow Saturday at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Orange.
The family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Hospital or the American Cancer Society.
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