by WALLED LAKE, Mich. — Industry veteran Nancy Christiansen died Nov. 11 after a long illness. She was 66.
Christiansen was a former senior buyer for the former Art Van Furniture, where she worked from 2005 through 2018. Before that, she spent 12 years at La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, where she was merchandise, marketing manager, according to her LinkedIn in profile.
“Nance was, first of all, part of the Southern Motion family,” said G Lipscomb, a former executive for the upholstery producer. “But the old saying ‘Iron sharpens iron’ applies. She pressed us constantly to be the leaders in motion.”
Lipscomb recalled the company giving Christiansen a sash and crown and one point and nicknaming her “the queen of motion.”
“She was also a champion for more women in our industry,” he added.
Christiansen was born May 30, 1955 in Buffalo, N.Y., the oldest of four children, according to the obituary posted by Lynch & Sons Funeral Home. The family moved to Michigan in the early 1960s.
She is survived by her brother and two sisters and six nieces and nephews.
“Nancy had a bright spirit of life and always engaged a room in good conversation. Her strength and conviction were a constant and she never hesitated to encourage everyone she worked with or met,” the family said in the obituary.
“Her many coworkers were often treated like family and she was known for thinking of others before herself. Nancy was rarely at a loss for words with a strong wit and sense of humor.”
A funeral mass will be Nov. 22 at 10 a.m. at St. William Catholic Church, 531 Common St. in Walled Lake, Mich. Visitation will be held at the church at 9 a.m. A celebration of life to be held after the funeral mass at Zerbo’s Bistro, 3000 E. West Maple, Commerce Township, Mich.
Memorials may be made to the Father Solanus Casey Capuchin Soup Kitchen.
