Lowell James Christensen

Lowell James Christensen, 87, of Brookings, formerly of Trent, passed into the arms of Jesus on September 28, 2026. A celebration of life service will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Trent Baptist Church in Trent, South Dakota.

Lowell James Christensen was born December 16, 1938, to Carl and Dena (Albers) Christensen, the 3rd of 4 children raised on faith, family, and a little bit of fun.

Lowell graduated from Egan High School in 1956, and somewhere along the way, he found the time to meet Myra Miller from all the way over in Pipestone, MN. They were married on August 15, 1958. Lowell and Myra spent time in California while Lowell served in the Navy. In 1959, they returned to the Trent area to farm.

Ron, Scott, and Jeanine joined the family and managed to give them a few grey hairs, but not enough to actually do much about it. That was a good thing, because Lowell sure enjoyed the 9 grandkids and 26 great-grandkids they blessed him with.

Along the way, Lowell lived his dash thoroughly. He had a servant’s heart and never met a stranger. Some of his more memorable adventures include:

Taking a group of kids on horse trail rides, youth canoe trips down the Big Sioux, Lowell’s original children’s sermons at church, church youth leaders, coffee at Morries and the Trading Post, “renting” a home to a homeless person he happened upon at the Dell Rapids Park, wild “rescue” Mustangs, building homes in the winter in Mexico, car rebuilding, Camp Judson trips and sponsorships, welded junk “art,” Nuts and Bolts tractors, wooden benches, Chicken Head Soup on the floor in a hut in Thailand, his favorite Batman sweatshirt, Sakota Seed corn detasseling and bean walking kids crews, Sunday School teacher, the Mayor of Trent, Trent Swimming Hole adventures, Sundays at Lake Campbell, and the brain child behind the Trent Bachelor Auction, prison ministry, square dancing Saturday nights, scavenger hunt Easter egg hunts, never letting anything meet its useful maximum lifetime, the “Long” tractors when everyone else had John Deere, and more than a few mishaps around the farm.

Lowell was a crop and livestock farmer and could most often be seen outside because he didn’t sit still for very long. He was always looking for new ways to do things and wasn’t afraid of the unconventional.

Lowell touched many lives and first and foremost wanted all to know and have their own personal relationship with Jesus. He was a lifelong member of the Trent Baptist Church.

Left to cherish his memory and carry on a bit of whimsy are his wife, Myra of Brookings; his children: Ron (Nila) Christensen, Webster, SD, Scott (Linette) Christensen, Flandreau, SD, and Jeanine Flatten, Flandreau, SD; 9 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; and several sisters- and brothers-in-law.

He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Maureen VanDaalen, Carol Ellefson, and Roger Christensen; in-laws; and great-grandson, Brooks James Linneweber.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the Trent Baptist Church or Camp Judson, 12965 Old Hill City Rd., Keystone, SD 57751.