Eric Paul Christianson

Eric was born September 24, 1962 in Chandler, Arizona to John and Lou Ann Christianson. He was their first of four children. During John’s career in the Air Force, Eric lived in North Dakota, Germany, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, California, and Alaska.

Their times in Germany included many great family adventures and memories exploring Europe. Living in California was a time of riding bikes, playing ball in the streets, and adventures with his dad and brother Scott.

Eric finished his last three years of high school in Alaska where he played varsity basketball at Chugiak High School and represented Alaska in the Arctic Winter Games. He was also busy with his large group of friends and many family activities including camping and hiking trips.

After graduation, Eric attended the Brinker School of Surveying at the Denver Institute of Technology. He traveled to Denver by himself on a military plane, not yet 18, and rented an apartment with several high school friends that were also attending. This is where he met his best friend and love of his life Leigh Anne, who stole his heart. He returned to Alaska after completing his training, found a surveying job, and proposed to Leigh Anne over a long distance phone call.

Eric’s family left Alaska for Utah in August of 1982, leaving Eric behind to continue surveying. He spoke fondly of his memories being dropped by helicopter for a month at a time and surveying the harsh terrain of the Alaskan wilderness. His love of surveying started there. He made the 3,200-mile drive from Alaska to Colorado by himself at age 19 that October.

Eric and Leigh Anne were married in Littleton, Colorado on December 19, 1982. Their first home was a small house adjacent to Leigh Anne’s parent’s electrical business where Eric worked until he found a surveying job. They moved to Las Vegas in 1987 for Leigh Anne’s career in Interior Design. Shortly after, Eric began his 35-year surveying career in Las Vegas. He started at Baughman & Turner in 1987 as a Party Chief before going over to Summit Engineering in 1988 as a survey technician and survey party chief. He stayed with the company through three acquisitions. He was licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor and Water Rights Surveyor and since 2011 was the lead survey group manager and senior survey project manager for Atkins North America. He served as President of the Nevada Association of Land Surveyors and was a member of the National Society of Professional Surveyors. He was well known and very respected in his field. He was looking forward to retirement so he could spend more time with Leigh Anne and their family in Denver.

Eric and Leigh Anne had their first daughter, Erica, in Las Vegas in 1989. Their second daughter, Erin, was born in 1992. In 1989, they bought their current home where Eric loved working on home improvement and landscaping projects, and creating a perfect living space and backyard oasis. Family and friends loved spending time with them by the pool and barbecuing. Eric had a special connection with his youngest brother, Mark, who made many trips to Vegas where they bonded over their shared interests in family, music, concerts, and cribbage over beers in the backyard.

As their girls were growing up, their lives revolved around competitive swimming. Eric and Leigh Anne traveled to all of their swim meets and were extremely involved in the Sandpipers of Nevada swim team family, with Eric serving as President for many years. They contributed countless volunteer hours over those years supporting Erica’s and Erin’s swimming careers. They all made many close and lifelong friends in this community.

Eric was a very skilled racquetball player, playing up to 4 times per week. He loved playing and had many close friends in his racquetball community. He loved going to Golden Knights games and concerts of all music genres. He loved football (especially the Denver Broncos), visiting family in Denver and Portland, and going on camping trips with Leigh Anne’s parents.

One of his greatest joys was spending time with his three grandchildren, Kai (3), Piper (2), and Kayson (9 months).

Eric is survived by his wife of 40 years, Leigh Anne; mother Lou Ann Christianson; siblings Scott (Amy), Lori Williams (Chris), Mark (Shannon); children Erica Green (Zane), Erin Ward (Jeff), grandchildren Kai Green, Kayson Green; Piper Ward; nieces and nephews Katarina Hedgepeth Carr (Lawrence), Sierra Christianson, Rebecca Christianson, Cooper Christianson, Emily Williams, Ben Williams, Sutton Christianson, Sloane Christianson, Nikki Huls (Allan), and Alex Walker (Caitlin). He was preceded in death by his father John Christianson and Leigh Anne’s parents, Dave and Norma Hale.

In Lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Eric Christianson to the Vascular Birthmark Foundation (http://birthmark.org/donate).

A celebration of life for Eric will be held Saturday, October 7, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Palm Northwest Mortuary, 6701 North Jones Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89131, followed by a reception from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmnorthwest.com for the Christianson family.