Chrys Marie (Katainen) Lien, 75, of North Oaks, MN, and formerly of co*kato, MN, died Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN, surrounded by close family.
A memorial service is scheduled for Monday, June 10, at 11 a.m. at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel, MN, with Rev. Janine Olson officiating. Interment of the urn follows the service at Ness Lutheran Cemetery, rural Litchfield, MN.
A time to gather with the family will take place Sunday, June 9, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Johnson Funeral Home in Dassel. There will be a time to gather with the family one hour prior to the service on Monday, June 10 at the Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel.
Chrys Marie Katainen was born Sept. 3, 1948, at Wesley Hospital in Wadena, MN, to Ralph Katainen and Marcella (Kiviaho) Katainen.
The family moved to the east side of St. Paul, MN, where Chrys was raised and graduated from Johnson Senior High School in 1967. She continued her schooling at the University of Minnesota, where she graduated in 1971 with a BA in art education.
Chrys was united in marriage to Steven James Lien Aug. 24, 1968, at Messiah Lutheran Church on Payne Avenue in St. Paul. Payne Avenue soon became a center of their early marriage, as the two opened Furniture Minnesota, Inc. there in 1971.
Having previously worked in the Coon Rapids school district and at Travelers Insurance in St. Paul, Chrys helped manage the furniture operation for several years before shifting her attention to full-time parenting.
Chrys and Steve later relocated to follow Steve’s employment, first to Plymouth, MN, in 1978 and then to rural Dassel, MN, in 1980.
Chrys welcomed the move to the country. She taught Sunday school and was involved with service units at Gethsemane Lutheran for many years.
Once both children were in school, she was drawn back into education herself, serving as a part-time art instructor at the elementary schools in Dassel and co*kato. Eager to establish her credentials as a full-time teacher, she went on to earn her MA in secondary education at St. Cloud State University.
She was hired by the Dassel-co*kato school district and spent the final 27 years of her career as a secondary special education instructor. She cultivated a reputation among her many students as a caring and patient teacher, a trusted listener, and a tireless supporter, especially for those most in need.
In her spare time, Chrys continued her artistic pursuits for the rest of her life. In the 1990s, she honed her skills in woodworking and even sold many of the wooden Christmas ornaments she’d carved.
When her dexterity declined, she shifted her creative outlets to colored pencil drawing and acrylic painting, her handiwork adorning the walls of family members to this day.
Chrys loved playing games, especially Trivial Pursuit, with friends, family, and particularly with the grandchildren she adored. Her love of competition was not purely participatory either.
Over the past decade, Chrys developed a near-fanatic passion for NBA basketball. During the winter and spring, she would reliably find NBA games to watch nearly every night on television. Her family credits her beloved Golden State Warriors for helping her through the pandemic, though her focus had since shifted to the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves.
Chrys was largely wheelchair-bound in recent years; however, her outgoing nature and indomitable spirit kept her vital. Her lack of mobility did not hold her back from enjoying memorable trips to Mexico and France with family members.
Chrys and Steve’s 2021 move to Waverly Gardens in North Oaks renewed her vigor, giving her a new set of friends to regale with stories and engage with in weekly card games.
A proud East Sider to the end, she participated in organizing the past two reunions for the Johnson High School class of 1967 and loved reconnecting with classmates.
Chrys is survived by her loving husband of 55 years, Steve; children, Erik (Cristina Burdett) of St. Paul and Andrea (Daniel Becker) of Falcon Heights, MN; two grandchildren, Anders and Maren Lien; brother, Stephen Katainen of White Bear Lake, MN; and sister Kirsten Evavold of Nevis, MN.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her parents-in-law.
