Robert George Christofferson

Robert Christofferson, 73, of Shevlin, MN died Wednesday, December 28, 2022 in Breckenridge, MN.

Visitation will be 11:00 a.m.,  to 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 3, 2022 at the Landstad Free Lutheran Church, Shevlin. Graveside services will follow at the Pinewood-Dodge Cemetery.

He was born in Bemidji, MN on April 28, 1949, the son of George and Minerva Christofferson. He attended Shevlin elementary and Bagley High School.  When he was 16 he worked on a farm in ND.   Then right out of high school he worked on a clearing job for construction and learned how to “run” grade for road staking.  During this time he always fell back on “cutting a few loads of pulp off the family farm”.  He joined the Local 49 of Operating Engineers and did road and pipeline work.  He decided to buy his first skidder in November 1974 and logged until 1986 when he purchased a Cat 325 Excavator.  He had never operated one but that did not seem to matter.  He dug stock ponds and got his first bid job with Ducks Unlimited the Fall of 1986.  He created islands and level ditching, water structures, and other wildlife work for Ducks unlimited until 1991.  He then did some construction for the union until 1997.  Then started hauling pulp and purchased another skidder in 1997.  Logging again.  He was joined by his boys Ben, the trucker and Matt the skidder operator. He worked in ND doing Cottonwood shelterbelts, Atlanta, Georgia, cutting yellow pine, then moved to New Hampshire and Maine cutting spruce, in 2004 and 2005.  Then back to ND doing Cottonwood shelterbelts, logging until 2008.  Matt was injured.  Robert and Ben went to the oil field with the trucks, hauling crude oil until 2014.  Then he “retired”!  He took 2 years off.  Then the logging bug came back in full force.  He started logging again in 2016, cottonwood shelterbelts again! He worked with Matt again until 2020 when Matt passed away.  Since 2020 Robert has continued working alone in ND doing cottonwood shelterbelts.  On the day Robert passed, he had filled his thermos to go to work and collapsed on the spot.  He died doing what he loved. 

Robert had other sidelines, like he married Edith in 1972.  Together they had 6 children.  Bought horses and cows for the kids to show in local horse shows and 4-H.  The herd grew, you know they need a new animal each year for each kid!  They purchased a farm in 1988 and moved from south of Shevlin near his family farm to Lammers township near Solway.  Farming grew.  He loved to raise Corn for silage. He loved to watch the Corn grow.

He made many friends in the logging industry, other loggers and truckers.  He made many friends in the Amish community in central MN where he sold logs for the sawmills there.  He talked about the hard workers they were.  He admired Hard Work. He had incredible work ethic, was a man of his word and a man of character.  He was a plain down to earth person and he was a Christian.  We can be sure he is in Heaven.  Do you think they have Logging in Heaven?

He is survived by Edith, his wife of 50 years, Children- Shannon (Jon) Wright, Anita Christofferson, Bennett (Kim) Christofferson, Renae Christofferson, Amber Christofferson.  He was met in Heaven by his son Matthew Christofferson.  Grandchildren - Chance and Tori Wright, Caleb and Trent Christofferson, Ava and Garrett Meish.  Brothers Dwayne (Pete) wife Carol, Carl (Bunker), Sisters- Genevieve Carlson, and Carol McLean.  Nieces and Nephews and SO MANY INCREDIBLE FRIENDS

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Robert George Christofferson, please visit our floral store.