Dr. Richard Christensen

CHRISTENSEN, Dr. Richard C. Dr. Richard C. Christensen, who spent his life working to improve those of countless others, died on November 26, 2015, in Lusaka, Zambia, while on a home-building project for Habitat for Humanity International. He was 60 and a resident of Jacksonville Beach. Dick, who was Director of Behavioral Health Services at the Sulzbacher Center and a Professor in the Division of Community Psychiatry at the University of Florida's College of Medicine, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while on his morning run on Thanksgiving Day. It also was the 32nd anniversary of Dick's wedding to Kathy, his partner and best friend, the love of his life, who was with him in Zambia. Affectionately known by many as "Dr. C," he will be dearly missed by his family, friends and colleagues - and by the thousands of people whose lives he touched in the clinic and on the streets, in downtown Jacksonville and at the Beaches. Self-effacing and possessed of a wicked-funny sense of humor, Dick eschewed the limelight as he worked to provide shelter and medical care to the underserved, focusing on mentally ill homeless people. He received the University of Florida's highest teaching honor, the Hippocratic Award, and was named an Exemplary Teacher in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Dick was a 1973 graduate of Chaminade High School and earned his medical degree from Wright State University School of Medicine. He also held a Bachelor's degree in philosophy from Rutgers University and a Master's degree in philosophy from Georgetown University. Dick is survived by his wife, Kathy (nee Moeder) and son, Christopher( Cara Trujillo, fiancé); his mother Janet Christensen of Atlantic Beach; sisters Kathleen of New York and Mary Anne of Jacksonville Beach; brothers Kim (Christina) of Long Beach, Calif. , and Pete (Tracey) of Peachtree City, Ga.; and two dozen nieces and nephews. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday, December 7, at St. Paul's Catholic Church with the Rev. William Kelly as Celebrant and the Rev. Ron Anton as Concelebrant. A gathering will be Sunday, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Quinn-Shalz. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Beaches Habitat for Humanity and Sulzbacher Center. Please visit our online Tribute at www.quinn-shalz.com. Arrangements by Quinn-Shalz Family Funeral Home, Jacksonville Beach, FL.