Lucille A. Christensen, 97, of Reddick, IL passed away Saturday, March 27, at Riverside Medical Center. She was born in Fairview, IL on February 4, 1924, the daughter of Giovanni (John) and Vittoria Forneris, who emigrated from Italy in the early 1900s. She married Joseph T. Christensen on July 25, 1946 in Sacred Heart Church, Campus, IL. Lucille attended a country school near Campus, graduated from Reddick High School and Illinois State University (ISU). In 1945 she began teaching in a country school near Campus with four students in grades 1, 2, 4 and 8, with no electricity or running water. Her Dad taught her to bank the coals of the furnace so it would be warm the next morning. She later taught with the Herscher School District and retired in 1990 from teaching second grade at Bonfield Grade School. She was a volunteer in the Alive program at Kankakee Community College (KCC), Riverside Medical Center, and the EARL reading program. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Reddick and the Council of Catholic Women (CCW). Surviving are her children: Victoria (Gary Gladding) Christensen of Urbana; Jude (Tom Levi) Christensen of Watertown, WI; Regina (Gina) Corban of Morris; and Michael Christensen of Reddick; two beloved grandchildren, Joseph and Gianna Corban; and many nieces, nephews and their families, and cousins in Italy. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe (1995); brother, Secondo Forneris; sister, Katie Sarti; nieces and nephews and friends. She loved to travel and made several trips to Italy to visit relatives. In 1937, she traveled with her mother, on the ship Aquitiana to Italy. It was the only time she spent time with her grandparents. She also loved the Chicago White Sox, UI teams, and going to grandchildren’s activities and games. She embraced and utilized technology on her phone for news and texts. Her advice was “stay active and eat healthy foods.” She never stopped teaching us. All memorial services will be private at the present time. A celebration to honor her life will be planned at a future date, and can be found on the R.W. Patterson Funeral Home, Braidwood, IL website, rwpat tersonfuneralhomes.com. Please share a memory or story on this website: rwpatter sonfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to: Cancer Research, St. Jude’s Chil-dren’s Hospital, your local food bank, or a charity of your choice.