Naomi Christensen

Naomi Christensen, 90 of Council Bluffs, IA, passed away February 18, 2025 at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, IA.

Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at the Charles E. and Florence M. Lakin Community Center in Malvern.
Burial will be in the Malvern Cemetery.
Visitation at the Lakin Center will be held prior to the service beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Loess Hills Funeral Home is caring for Naomi and her family.

Memorials are suggested to the Strahan United Methodist Church, Hastings, or The Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of East Mills, Malvern.

OBITUARY
Naomi Louise Chamberlain was born September 7, 1934, in rural Malvern, Mills County, IA. She was the fifth and youngest daughter of Frank Edwin Chamberlain and Hildor Louise (Borene) Chamberlain and grew up on a farm near Malvern, IA.

For eight years, Naomi daily walked or rode a pony four miles roundtrip to attend Maple Grove School, a one-room country school in Mills County. She graduated from Malvern High School, Malvern, IA, in 1952, where she participated in basketball, cheerleading, speech, debate, vocal music and band, and was class valedictorian and marching band drum major.

As a youth, she was also active in 4-H, showing cattle, sheep and chickens, as well as being a member of the Mills County Poultry Judging Team that won the Iowa 4-H Poultry Judging Contest and participated in the national competition. Following high school graduation, Naomi attended Sioux Falls College, Sioux Falls, SD, for one year where she worked in the dean’s office, sang in the college choir, participated in plays and was on the debate team.

Naomi met Robert (Bob) Christensen at the Iowa State Fair and timing for their first date was confirmed later that fall at the Ak-Sar-Ben Livestock Show, Omaha, during high school. They married on June 28, 1953, at the First Baptist Church in Malvern, IA, and were married for 55 years, until Bob’s death in 2008. Their son Doug was born in 1954, and their daughter Donna was born in 1956.

Following their marriage, Bob and Naomi moved to a farm near College Springs, IA, where Bob farmed with his father. In 1961, they moved to and later purchased a farm near Hastings, IA. In 1976, their son Doug and daughter-in-law Lynn became partners in the farm. Their farming operation included a herd of purebred Simmental cattle and a farrow-to-finish hog operation. In 1981, the Iowa Simmental Association honored Bob and Naomi with its inaugural Christensen Elite Award, named in their honor, which is given annually by the organization. Bob and Naomi were also named the Omaha Kiwanis Club’s Outstanding Farm Family in 1989. Bob and Naomi retired from farming and moved to Risen Son Christian Village, Council Bluffs, IA in 2005.

Naomi grew up as a member of the Baptist Church in Malvern. Following her marriage, she became a member of the United Methodist Church, having joined the College Springs Methodist Church in 1953, the Strahan United Methodist Church in 1961, and became an associate member of Salem United Methodist Church, Council Bluffs in 2005. She was active in her churches as a choir member, Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School teacher, on various committees, and as a member of United Methodist Women in which she served as a local, district and conference officer. In 1984, Naomi was elected to and served for eight years on the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Global Ministries Women’s Division, which allowed her to travel throughout the United States, as well as to Canada, Mexico and Zimbabwe.

In 1992, Naomi was the first woman elected to the Mills County Board of Supervisors, where she served until 2004, including six years as chairperson. As a county supervisor, she served on many county and regional boards including Mills County Tourism, West Central Development, Loess Hills Alliance, Glenwood/Mills County Chamber of Commerce and Glenwood Economic Development. She was named Citizen of the Year by the Glenwood/Mills County Chamber of Commerce in 2000, received the Individual Friend of Tourism Award from the Iowa Tourism Office and Travel Federation of Iowa in 2004, and the regional citizenship award from the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency in 2004. She also served for 14 years on the board of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, including eight years as board chair. In 1977, Naomi received the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame’s Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality & Justice given annually to a person who has made an impact in improving the status of Iowa women.

Naomi was a 4-H leader in Page and Mills Counties for 23 years. She was a leader of the Busy Bees 4-H Club and the Mills County 4-H Teen Club, as well as chair of the Mills County Home Economics Committee, County Fair Home Economics Superintendent, member of the County Extension Council, and member of the Iowa Extension Advisory Committee. She was inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame in 2003. Naomi was also a recipient of the Mills County Homemaker of the Year Award and was named by Wallaces Farmer magazine in 1998 as an Iowa Master Farm Homemaker.

Additionally, Naomi was a member of the Iowa Peace Institute, Iowa Master Farm Homemakers Association, and was named Iowa Mother of the Year by the Iowa chapter of the American Mother’s Association.

Naomi loved children and taught Sunday School for 78 years, beginning at age 12 until September 2024. She also enjoyed wearing a clown outfit and making animal balloons, as well as dressing as a witch at Halloween for her local grandchildren's elementary homeroom parties.

Naomi died at Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital, Council Bluffs, IA, on February 18, 2025, having attained the age of 90 years, 5 months and 11 days. She was preceded in death by her husband Bob; parents Frank and Hildor Chamberlain; sisters and brothers-in-law Virginia (Don) Primrose, Twyla (Vinton) Johnson, Velma (Lyle) Houts and Elva (Merrill) Sargent; parents-in-law J. Fred and Gladys Christensen; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Corrine (David) Williams, Janice (Berle) Decker, Diane Messenger and Eldon Herzberg, as well as nephews Jay Herzberg, Don Johnson, Richard Primrose, Ron Sargent, Dale Sargent and Brian Williams.

Naomi is survived by her son Doug (Lynn) Christensen, Hastings; daughter Donna Christensen-Mores (Alan Mores), West Lake Okoboji; grandchildren Seth (Sally) Christensen, Treynor; Bryce (Krista) Christensen, West Des Moines; Gregg (Jeni) Christensen, Ballwin, MO; Jackson (Kaitlyn) Mores, Overland Park, KS; and Chandler (Josh) Cohen, Burlingame, CA; great-grandchildren Tyler, Nate, Luke, Cole, Jenna, Clay, Colin and Carter Christensen, and Louis Mores; sister-in-law Shirley Herzberg, Clarinda, and brother-in-law Keith Messenger, Wittman, AZ, as well as nieces, nephews, other family members and many friends.