Remembering Sandi Christofferson
The Social Work Department recently experienced the sorrow of losing one of our very own alumna and faculty members, Sandi Christofferson.
Sandi greatly impacted the Social Work field, specializing in infant mental health, both directly with clients and as a beloved teacher and mentor. Her ties with UND were strong and reflected in both her 2002 Distinguished Alumni Award and her 11 year tenure as a UND faculty member. Sandi brought her positive outlook on life and strong spirit to every challenge, every interaction and every classroom.
Sandi Curry Christofferson, 65, died Aug. 1, 2016 in her home at Woodlake, North Dakota, cared for by her family. Her celebration of life was held on Saturday, August 6 at 11 a.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Devils Lake with Pastor Tom Westcott officiating.
Sandi was born on August 24, 1950 in Minot, North Dakota to Henry and Arlene Curry. She graduated from Bismarck High School in 1968. At an early age, she showed an interest in social work and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of North Dakota in 1971. During her junior year of college, through an exchange program she attended Grambling College in Louisiana. Later, she went on to receive a master’s degree in Social Work from Syracuse University in New York State in 1983, where she specialized in Family Mental Health. Sandi completed post‐graduate diplomas in Infant Mental Health, & Parent/Infant Psychotherapy in London, England.
She met Lee Christofferson while at UND, and they were married in 1973. They have been married for 43 years.
Prior to beginning full time private practice, Sandi was involved in many years of social work practice. She focused the majority of her skills on issues relevant to children and families. She served for 8 years at Rugby and Rolla Social Services, 7 years at Lutheran Social Serves in Rugby, 10 years at The Village Family Service Center in Devils Lake where she served as a regional supervisor, 20 years in supervision of social work practitioners and other counseling disciplines involved in family preservation work, 15 years teaching social work at LRSC, and 11 years teaching graduate level courses at UND.
Most recently she and her husband Lee had taught a social work class at UND together. For the last 15 years of her career she had been in full time private practice at Christofferson Consulting. She also had consulting roles with Early Head Start, Head Start, and other early intervention programs in North Dakota. In addition to her clinical counseling and teaching, she provided workshops, supervision for both social work students and professionals, and training on various topics related to infant mental health, social work ethics and Brief Solution Focused Therapy.
Sandi enjoyed knitting, swimming, Tai Chi, traveling, reading, playing with her grandchildren, and spending time at her little slice of heaven on Woodlake. Sandi had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer over 8 years ago and saw it not as the enemy, but as something she had to learn to live with in order to survive. Her positive outlook on life, and her strong spirit helped her to live as long as she did, and live her life free from regret.
Sandi is survived by her husband Lee; children Eric (wife Anne Marie Studer) and their children Daniel and Nora of Grand Forks and Neslie of Shreveport, LA; sister Cheryl Bullinger (Harlie Bullinger) of Grand Junction, CO and brother Jon Curry (Debi Curry) of Gray, ME; aunts and an uncle; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Sandi’s husband, Lee, and their children, Eric and Neslie, recently established the Sandi Curry Christofferson Memorial Scholarship Endowment benefiting students in Social Work. As a way to carry on Sandi’s wonderful legacy, scholarships will support students who have expressed interest in children’s mental health. While Sandi’s presence at UND will be missed, her family has ensured a way to continue her legacy and honor her memory by supporting the education and work for which she cared so deeply.
Please consider a gift to the Sandi Curry Chirstofferson Memorial Scholarship Endowment to help carry on her wonderful legacy. Please contact Jay Erickson at 701-777-3693 or jaye@undfoundation.org for more information. Or you may send a check payable to the UND Foundation in memory of Sandi Christofferson at Gorecki Alumni Center, 3501 University Ave Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157
