Rodger Merville Christensen died May 3, 2021 at the Marion VA  CLC  Hospice Center in Marion, IL. Rodger was born May 4, 1948. He was raised by his father, Merville; his Grandmother Julia; and his uncle and aunt, James and Jean Small. He grew up on the family farms in Gardner, IL. Rodger was a graduate of GSW High School, Class of 1967. After graduation, he enlisted in the USMC and was off to Camp Pendleton in San Diego, CA for basic training. He served a tour of duty in Vietnam. Upon his return home from two years of military service he worked at the Armory Arsenal in Elwood, IL. It was there that he met Donna Sue Hall. He and Donna married on December 19, 1970 and settled into life on one of the family farms in rural Gardner. Roger took a position at Lyondell Chemicals in Morris, where he worked for 35 years until his retirement. He served as the company Fire Chief and Safety Supervisor. He took and taught numerous chemical and fire safety classes in the area and at Texas A&M and UNLV. He was also a Pit Crewman for numerous Indianapolis 500s. After his retirement from Lyondell, he worked at the South Wilmington Firemen’s Beach Club in maintenance and groundskeeping. He was a member of the Gardner American Legion Post 663, the VFW  and American Legion in Golconda, and The Church of Hope in Gardner. He served on the Reddick Ambulance Board and the Grundy County Vietnam Memorial Board. He also farmed for many years and was an avid hunter. Later in life, he moved to Golconda to be closer to his granddaughters. He made many friends and enjoyed his time living there. Rodger is survived by his daughter, Christina (Greg) Eddington of Golconda; two sons: Robert (Sara) Christensen of Joliet and Richard (Tracy Marie) of Reddick; four grandchildren: Katelyn (Bradley Swank) Eddington of Champaign, IL; Allyson and Adriene Eddington, both of Golconda; and Logan Christensen of Joliet. He is also survived by one brother, Theodore Christensen of Gardner; three sisters-in-law: Wanda Thompson of Scarbro, WV; Jean Tyree of Akron, Ohio; and Sandra Hall of Kingston, WV; two brothers-in-law: Nick (Joyce) Hall and Joey Hall, both of Scarbro, WV; 24 nieces and nephews; numerous great-nieces and nephews; cousins; and friends. He was preceded in death by his father; grandparents; uncle and aunt; his wife of 39 years, Donna; one sister, Carol Jean Christensen; five sisters-in-law:  Linda Christensen, Jane Bell, Margaret Hall, Shirley Tyree, and Rosemary Waldron; four brothers-in-law: Wayne Hall, Alvin Waldron, William Tyree and Blaine Tyree; and two nephews. Per Rodger’s wishes, he was cremated. Burial will be in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and Gardens, Elwood, IL. His final resting place will be with Donna on the same grounds that they met. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Marion VA Hospice Organization, the Pope County Golden Circle, or the Reddick Fire Fund. Visitation and memorial service will be held Friday, June 4, 2021 at the Reddick United Methodist Church, Reddick, IL. Visitation will be from 4 until 7 p.m. with a Memorial Service at 7 p.m. Pastor Kevin Boesen will officiate. Private burial will be at a later date. Honorary pallbearers are: Daniel Anderson, Matt Anderson, Brian Christensen, Edward Christensen, Walt Eddington, Greg Hall, Aaron Paquette, John Hollmeyer, Jared Riche, Sean Richie, Riley Thompson, Blaine Waldron, Brian Waldron and Carson Waldron.