Margaret Ann Christensen

August 25, 2026

Margaret "Marg" Christensen, 76, of Freeport, Stephenson County, IL, was born July 26, 1950, and passed away on August 25th after a short-term battle with cancer. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert "Bob" Christensen, and is survived by her sons, Kevin Christensen (wife Jen) and Cory Christensen, and her eight grandchildren, Braden, Ryder, Campbell, Scarlett, Draeden, Cole, Kylie, and Parker.

Marg was the matriarch of the family in every sense, the one everyone gathered around. Signs reading "friendship," "loyalty," and "love" hung all around her house, not just as decoration, but as the way she actually lived. Her love reached well beyond her own children and grandchildren, to nieces, nephews, and more people than the family can even count. To so many of them, she was like a mom, a substitute for the ones they'd lost or simply another set of open arms, and she loved them with the same fierce devotion she gave her own. She was, all at once, a beloved sister, aunt, great-aunt, godmother, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother to more people than any one title could hold.

She adored her husband, Bob, with her whole heart, and the two of them were devoted to each other for a lifetime, as true partners in both life and business. They were, by all accounts, the cutest couple in Freeport. If you were lucky enough to see them on the dance floor, you know they are dancing in heaven right now. Bob preceded her in death about three years ago, also to cancer. The family finds real comfort in knowing the two of them are together again.

Marg was in real estate in Stephenson County for 40 years and was the owner-broker of Christensen's Home Town Realtors, which she founded in 1998. If you lived here, chances are she sold you a house, sold your neighbor a house, or at the very least knew your whole family tree. She simply could not walk through a store, a restaurant, or a parking lot without running into at least five people who lit up the second they saw her. She had a gift for making whoever she was talking to feel like the only person in the room, and she used it on everyone from her biggest clients to the kid bagging her groceries. She served on the Stephenson County Board of Review and was an active member of the Northwest Illinois Alliance of Realtors, serving as former president of the Freeport-Galena Area of Realtors. She was named Realtor of the Year twice and was voted Best Employer. Home Town Realtors was voted Best of the Region several times, and through the company she helped raise thousands of dollars for local charities each year. She also stood by Bob's side when he started Two Men and a Truck in three Illinois locations and supported the company through countless campaigns and fundraisers for the community. Truthfully, the family doesn't even know the full list of organizations, boards, and causes she was part of over the years. There was so much more to her than any one page could hold; her life could fill a book.

Marg was devoted to her eight grandchildren, whom she called "the Great 8," and there was no bragging about them she considered excessive. She had a rare gift with them, too: somehow, she made every single one of them feel like they were her favorite, the most special kid in the room, all at the same time. There was no competing for her attention because she made sure none of them ever had to.

Kevin and Cory were her pride and joy, though that hardly covers it. She poured everything she had into them. She raised them steeped in Irish-Catholic tradition and worked hard to give them a loving, family-centered childhood. She also ruled the house with an iron fist, and both boys will tell you it's where they learned that you have to work hard to get ahead in life and never take a single thing for granted.

Marg was proudly Irish and devoutly Catholic. As far as she was concerned, every day was St. Patrick's Day, and she wore her Irish heritage with pride all year round. She rarely missed Mass, a holy day, or a chance to say a rosary, and she raised her family on a steady diet of "go to church" and "say your prayers." She had the gift of gab and could talk to absolutely anyone, always had one more story to tell, and was stubborn as a mule and proud of it. When she spoke her mind, she stood firmly behind what she believed in, and she was terrifyingly persuasive when she wanted something done. Cross her family, though, and you found out fast that all that warmth came with some serious fire; Marg would go to bat for the people she loved without a second's hesitation.

She is survived by her sons, Kevin Christensen (wife Jen) and Cory Christensen; her grandchildren, Braden, Ryder, Campbell, Scarlett, Draeden, Cole, Kylie, and Parker; her brother, John Dower (wife Mieko); and her sister, Jo Ann Baker.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert "Bob" Christensen; her father, Lawrence Dower; her mother, Alice Dower; her sister, Mary Alice Balles, and her husband, John "Jack" Balles; her brother-in-law, Charlie Baker (husband of her sister, JoAnn); her great-niece, Karli Dower Weltzin; her great-nephews, Daniel Santistevan and Corey Baker; and her infant nephew, Lawrence Dower.

Visitation will be held Friday, September 4th, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home, 504 N. Walnut Ave., Freeport, IL 61032. A funeral Mass will follow on Saturday, September 5th, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 1400 Kiwanis Dr., Freeport, IL. Burial will be in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Freeport, IL. A luncheon for family and close friends will be held at Cimino's following gravesite services. Memorials may be sent to Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home.

Live streaming of Marg's service can be viewed at: https://tinyurl.com/Funeral-M-Christensen