Leif was born in Columbia, Missouri on March 26 1977. He was found deceased at home on February 5th.

Leif’s favorite word was epistemology. He loved to muse on the mystical nature of life, our brains, the history of the Sami people, aliens, Zen Buddhism, ancient societies and the migration of their peoples, Artificial Intelligence and how to befriend it, out of body experiences, and especially creative uses of language for the benefit of laughter.

He will be remembered for the music he shared, his love of precise measurements in carpentry, his generous kindness, his love of art (especially Matisse, Kandinsky, Klimt and O’Keeffe), and postcards with small pictures of cats wearing sunglasses.

He is survived by his father Les Christianson, and his brother Nils Christianson. He was preceded in death by his mother Linda Lee Talley and best four-legged friend Otter.

A service will be held 4/11/2026 at Unitarian Universalist Church in Urbana, IL at 1:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your favorite animal care, art education or family support group.

He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.