Former Senate president Arnold Christensen dies

Arnold Christensen, who served 17 years in the Utah State Senate in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, 10 of them as president, died March 25, 2009.

Christensen was known for his easy smile and was a man who looked for compromises, not confrontations. His 10 years as president set a record for longevity in a post that previously had been held by other presidents for two or four years.

Christensen was born July 26, 1936, to Walter A. Christensen and Joyce Pierce Christensen. He was a graduate of Granite High School and attended the University of Utah.

He operated Christensen Electric and served on the Cottonwood Hospital board of directors.

Christensen was an active member of the LDS Church and resigned his Senate seat to become president of a North Carolina church mission. He also served in several leadership positions in his local congregations.

He is survived by his wife, Necia Ann Larsen Christensen, and four children, 16 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at noon Saturday at the Draper 6th Ward, 12870 S. 13th East, in Draper. Visitations will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 E. 10600 South, in Sandy, and one hour before the funeral at the Draper church.