William K. Kristiansen

was the only child of Frithjof and Hansine Kristiansen. Frithjof was a U.S citizen

by virtue of his own father’s service in the Spanish American War. His mother,

also from Norway, was a new immigrant.

He was born very shortly after the collapse of the stock market and the start of

the Great Depression. Life did not start out well.

He survived every conceivable childhood illness in the first two years of his life.

The young Kristiansen family was literally down to their last dime, forcing

impossible choices on Frithjof. Unwilling to have his family be a financial burden

on his new Country, he sent his Wife and toddler son to live on his family’s farm

in Norway rather than accept public assistance, or “relief” as it was called. This

would permit him to live in inexpensive housing and search, mostly in vain, for

Carpentry work without having to worry about the security of his family.

When he returned to the United States at age 6 or 7, he spoke only Norwegian.

He started Public School in Brooklyn not knowing a word of English.

Nevertheless, by the time he was ready to enter High School, he was offered,

and accepted a prestigious a slot at the Brooklyn Technical High School. He

Graduated in the late 1940’s.

After High School He served as a volunteer in the United States Air Force during

the Korean Conflict [Jan 1951 to 1954]. He was an aircraft mechanic, and rose to

the Rank of Staff Sargent. He was stationed in Alaska, a key hub for military

aircraft in the Pacific at the time. He was honorably discharged after 3 years of

service.

He loved his Country, and proudly wore his Air Force hat until the very last week

of his life.

He married the love of his life, Elsa, in September 1958. They spent 61 blissful

years together and had two children (William Keith, 1962, and Kari Susan, 1963).

No two people were ever more compatible. During their 61 years of marriage,

they rarely spend time apart.

He worked for 33 years at Brookhaven National Laboratory as a Technical

Supervisor. He worked on a variety of scientific projects. In the early years he

worked on the HFBR project (High Flux Beam Reactor) in that familiar round

dome that is often associated with BNL. He worked with cryogenics and low

temperature physics in an attempt to create a smaller cable capable of

transmitting large amounts of electrical power (Power Transmission Line Project).

He worked with and experimented on many different kinds of rare earth elements

and isotopes, using trial and error looking for breakthroughs that sometimes

come through brute force. He was renowned for keeping meticulous and

accurate records.

He loved working at BNL. He just loved everything about it.

He retired in 1993 and attacked retirement with the same enthusiasm that he

brought to his work. He took over ALL the cooking. He started traveling

extensively. He and his wife “found” Casinos (or maybe the Casinos found them),

and it was “love at first nickel.” He continued bowling as long as he could.

He fell ill on Monday October 14, 2019. On Tuesday October 15, he passed

away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his wife and children.

On October 21, 2019, his 89th birthday, he will be laid to rest at The Calverton

Memorial Cemetery. He’ll be taking his rightful place with the other Patriots who

served our Country.

Reposing at O.B. Davis Funeral Homes, 4839 Nesconset Highway, Port Jefferson Station, LI. Visitation on Sunday, October 20th from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. Prayer service Monday at 10 AM. Interment with Military Honors to follow at Calverton National Cemetery.