Benjamin Ralph Christensen

VERONA - Benjamin Ralph Christensen passed away unexpectedly on June 2, 2025. Ben was born in Duluth, Minn., on a cold, late spring afternoon in 1979. He was born to proud parents Ralph Christensen and Paula (Lenroot) Christensen, and resided with them, his sister, Erika, and his brother, Roy, in Iron River, Wis., for his first three years. He was cute as a button and loved to play outdoors.

In 1982, Ben and his family moved to Red Bird Road outside of DeForest, Wis. He spent his school years in DeForest, playing t-ball, baseball, basketball and soccer with his friends and fishing and exploring the outdoors in the summers. Ben claimed his first buck 30 minutes into the gun season opener when he was just 13 years old. Ben also began golfing during high school and taught himself how to play the guitar. Thereafter, he enjoyed playing his guitar and listening to music with his buddies, including Tim, Matt, Jason and Jeremy.

In 1997, Ben graduated from DeForest High School and enrolled at UW-Madison. He transferred to UW-Oshkosh his sophomore year, graduated with a degree in accounting and earned his CPA license. He would later earn a master's degree in business. It was in Oshkosh that Ben met Cheryl Moore, and they were married in 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ben's career as an Accounting and Financial Analyst began at Virchow Krause in Madison. He later worked at TomoTherapy, American Family Insurance, and most recently Johnson Wellness and Fitness. He also served on the Madison YMCA Board of Directors for many years.

Prior to Anna joining the family, Ben and Cheryl owned their first dog, Maya, who would forever be the canine love of his life. They also spent time watching Badger hockey, golfing, attending Poison concerts and traveling widely. Ben loved Cheryl and Anna for the rest of his life. He loved to go camping, do crafts with Anna, play games, and follow Anna's pursuits in theater, swimming, gymnastics, dance, and orchestra. He loved to travel with them, especially enjoying their adventures in California, Florida, and Hawaii. In the last decade, he worked hard to become a proficient woodworker, creating intricate, one-of-a-kind butcher block cutting boards.

Ben always found time to follow his favorite sports teams - the Badgers, Brewers and Packers - to golf, to go to concerts, especially Summerfest and Taylor Swift, and to engage in many story-worthy adventures with his friends. Ben and his good friend Tim even swam across Lake Mendota, biked around it, and then walked across it on the ice.

Ben was always interested in learning and experiencing new things, especially with the help of YouTube. History and conspiracy theories were favorite topics for entertainment. Ben was a sensitive, thoughtful, witty and cheerful man who gave his full attention to each person he met. He made each person’s day a bit better for having talked with him.

Ben is survived by his wife, Cheryl; daughter, Anna; parents, Ralph and Paula Christensen; parents-in-law, Bob and Betsy Moore; sister, Erika (Joe) Charais; brother, Roy (Toni) Christensen; brother-in-law, John (Sarah) Moore; and nieces and nephews, Maria, Sara, Andrea, Daniel, Elizabeth, Erin, Ryan, Kieran and MacKenzie.

Ben believed in and loved our Lord God with all his heart and expressed it in his charity towards all whom he met. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

A memorial service will be held at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 2950 Chapel Valley Road, Fitchburg, at 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 3 p.m. until the time of the service on Thursday.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be gifted to the family for his daughter Anna's education.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson Fitchburg
Funeral & Cremation Care
2950 Chapel Valley Road
(608) 442-5002