Beloved son, brother, nephew, uncle, godfather, and friend, Tyler Quinn Christensen, of Roeland Park, Kansas, passed away at age 41, on Saturday, March 21, 2020, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Tyler was the youngest child of Lee Christensen and Debra (Quinn) Christensen.

​

He was born on March 10, 1979, in Alma, and raised in Orleans, Nebraska. He attended Orleans Public Schools, and then the consolidated school system at Southern Valley Schools in rural Oxford, Nebraska. He was a member of the swim team, baseball team, and basketball team as well as 4-H, Future Problem Solvers, and Mansion Builders. Tyler studied computer systems and programming at Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska, and DeVry University in Denver, Colorado.

​

The greatest point of pride in Tyler’s life was working for Apple for eleven years. In his role as Senior Advisor, he resolved high-level issues that could not be handled by front-line technical support. He also spent several months working as an Apple Care specialist at the Apple Store in the Rosedale Mall in Roseville, Minnesota, where he made many close friends. On at least one occasion, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook personally recognized his work.

 

Tyler moved from Hastings to Annapolis, Maryland, to live and work with his brother, John and a group of people that became life-long friends. Tyler went on to live in Boulder and Denver, Colorado; Holdrege, Nebraska; Saint Paul, Minnesota; and Roeland Park. Tyler’s beloved cat, Cypher adopted him in Denver. Cypher was a loving comfort to Tyler, learning to adjust his snuggle positions to fit Tyler’s changing physical needs.    

 

Tyler pursued several passions including: cooking, gaming, fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking. Tyler had a thirst for knowledge, with special interests in history and current world events. He loved a wide variety of music, comedy, cars (especially his Jeep Wrangler), airplanes, and spacecraft.

 

One of Tyler’s strongest characteristics was making friends. He could talk with anyone about anything. Tyler’s casual encounters with neighbors, co-workers, and people he met in the world often lead to genuine relationships.

 

Tyler suffered from Crohn’s Disease from age sixteen, and was diagnosed with cancer in March 2018. He rarely let his health issues slow him down, impact his spirit, or keep him from connecting with the people he loved. In August 2019, he gathered his six best friends from across the country for a concert in Denver so that they could spend time together.

 

Tyler was preceded in death by his father Lee Christensen; his much-loved grandparents: George and Carol Ann (Hosier) Quinn, and Raymond and LaVerne (Borges) Christensen; uncles: Earl Christensen, and LeRoy Keezer; and cousin, Kevin Keezer.

 

Tyler is survived by his mother, Debra (Quinn) Sindt and step-father, Rex Sindt of Holdrege; step-mother, Diane (Roeder) Christensen of Orleans; sister, Jenae Batt and her husband, Matthew of Saint Paul; brother, John Christensen and his wife, Sooki of Roeland Park; step-siblings, Rex’s daughters: Bridgette Ohrt, and Katie Sindt both of Holdrege; Diane’s children: Katy Shaw and her husband, Jay of Orleans; and Jesse Gardner of Long Island, Kansas; nephews and nieces: Wyatt, Marshall, Eden, and Grace Christensen; nephew and godson, Emory Batt; as well as a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, and special friends, including: Dave Webb and Tai Webb.

 

The family would like to extend their heart-felt thanks to everyone that has given their love, prayers, and support to Tyler with special recognition for the team at Apple, and the caregivers at Regions Hospital, Mayo Clinic, and University of Kansas Medical Center that showed amazing grace, mercy, love, and support for Tyler.

​

Memorial gifts will be given to fund scholarships to Space Camp and can be directed to: US Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation, One Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805, or on the Space Center website.

​

Memorial service coordination provided by the team at Nealson-Bauer Funeral Homes. 

​