Joseph C. Christian, 81, of Algonquin, died peacefully on April 30, 2026.
Joseph was born July 20, 1944, in Harrison, New Jersey, the son of Joseph and Shirley Mae (Wolcott) Christian. On April 21, 1979, he married Roberta A. Lay. Joe was an avid golfer and a history buff, and he and Roberta enjoyed snowmobiling together. He cherished time spent with his family, especially his granddaughters. Joe was a devoted husband, father, papa, and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Roberta Christian; his children, Ryan (Marcie) Christian, Scott Christian, Sean Christian, and Stephanie Christian; his grandchildren, Jules, Adelaide, and Allison; and his brother, Gary (Kathleen) Christian. Joe was preceded in death by his parents; his twin brother, James; his brothers, Daniel and Paul; and his sister, Catherine.
Visitation will be held on Friday, May 8, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until the 10:00 a.m. Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church, 10307 Dundee Road, Huntley. Inurnment will follow at St. Mary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Mary Catholic Church.
For further information, please contact the funeral home at 847-515-8772, or online condolences may be shared at www.defiorefuneral.com.
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After the Sacraments, Joe Christian gave St. Mary Huntley parishioners the greatest gift we could ever receive. He gave us knowledge and love for the Holy Word of God in the scriptures. Not long after the new church was built he began to lead Bible studies using The Great Adventure Series written by Jeff Cavins, Sarah Christmyer and Dr. Tim Gray. He began with a sweeping take of the entire Catholic Bible called The Bible Timeline. We loved it. We couldn’t wait for more Bible studies and he came back year after year and lead them with humility and great warmth. He presented Acts of the Apostles, Galatians, James, Matthew and then Luke compiled by Fr. Jeffrey Kirby and Paul Thigpen. Joe gave his all to us. We loved the videos, the questions and the sharing together because of all the prayer and work Joe did in preparation for each class and each series. He made it fun for us and accessible and memorable. We will never forget how he helped us understand God’s plan for us through God’s Word and the gift of our beautiful Catholic Church and how it flowered from it’s earliest beginning with faith and courage no less needed in our own day. May his reward be great and may God bless and keep Roberta and his family ever in His care until you are all united again forever.
Joe was my rock, when I was a small child. Being the only girl for years and having 6 brothers was quite an experience. He always kept his eye out for me, and if I ever got hurt, he'd be the first to respond. May Joey rest in Peace. The twins are together, again. Sending lots of love.