Jack W. Christensen, age 80, of Marshfield passed away surrounded by family on January 15, 2017.  He was raised in South Windsor, Connecticut and married his High School sweetheart, Jean. Together they had four sons; Jack Jr., Craig, Dale and Todd and now have two granddaughters; Sydney and Sasha.

Jack attended MIT where he received his degree in Electrical Engineering.  After graduation, he joined the Air Force and became a pilot flying B-47's for five years. Upon completing active duty, Jack returned to civilian life, still serving actively in the Air Force Reserves for eight years.

After returning to Massachusetts, he worked at MIT as an Industrial Liaison Officer, eventually becoming head of that Department.  The family later moved to PA where Jack worked at Carnegie-Mellon University in an Administrative position for five years.

The family returned to their home in Marshfield, when Jack continued his professional career working as Director of Development for several organizations including McLean Hospital in Belmont, Wang Institute in Tyngsboro and Heritage Plantation, in Sandwich, finishing his career at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

Jack had a life-long interest in carpentry, and created a Remodeling Business in Marshfield along with two of his sons.  In addition, he made several renovations to the home he and the family loved so dearly.  He also took on many other projects, including the conversion of an old Greyhound bus into a motor home for his family and a life-size playhouse for his two granddaughters.

He also spent 15 years building a 50ft sailboat in his backyard which was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in 2004. The 'Queen Jean' as it was named, was later given away and launched out of Scituate Harbour.

Jack loved music and was mostly a self-taught musician. He began creating, by hand, an array of musical instruments; guitars, violins, mandolins, and more than twenty-five cellos, of which over a dozen he generously gave away to music students.

Both Jack and his wife Jean have been actively involved in several local organizations and have a strong belief in giving back to the community. Jack donated his time to Habitat for Humanity later becoming actively involved in a local group known as the 'Renew Crew' which dedicates skills and resources to assist people make necessary repairs to their home that they otherwise may not be able to afford.

A Memorial Service for Jack will be held on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 11:00 a.m., followed by a reception, at the First Parish Unitarian Church, 24 River Street in Norwell.

For online guestbook and driving directions to the church, please visit our website macdonaldfuneralhome.com