Christian Allen Bjerk

Christian Allen Bjerk of Grand Forks, ND was called home by the Lord on June 11, 2012. Christian was born on August 26, 1993, the son of Keith A. Bjerk and Debra (Debbie) Kaye (Grimm) Bjerk. Christian was baptized at Sharon Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND. Christian was a sweet, cheerful child full of love and energy, always willing to share, and delighted to have a baby brother, who he grew up playing sports with. He participated in boy scouts and summer camps. As a teenager he was strong and athletic, a talented artist, a loyal friend, loved music, enjoyed working on his car, had a great sense of humor, and was very close to his 2 brothers. He played a variety of sports from an early age including hockey, baseball, basketball, racquetball, taekwondo, football, wrestling, track and golf. Christian loved to go fishing with his brother on the Red River and he really liked spending time with his family and friends at Union Lake, MN. He loved to fish, tube, wakeboard, and learned to slalom ski at an early age. On June 10th he caught a walleye that was 28.5 inches long and weighed almost 10 pounds. Christian attended Red River High School until the spring of his senior year. He was in process of completing a final credit to receive his high school diploma thru ND Center for Distance Education. In high school, Christian took 3 years of Latin and was awarded the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League Certificate of Honorable Merit Cum Laude for outstanding performance in the National Latin Examination (Labor Omnia Vincit). He lettered in both wrestling and football. Christian wrestled at 215 pounds, and took 3rd place at the Eastern Dakota Conference as a sophmore. In football, at 6'4" and 240 pounds he played offensive and defensive tackle and was known by his teammates as an intelligent, hardworking teammate. In 2009 and 2010 he attended the All Star Football Camp in Deland, FL and was awarded a Rising Star Award by Max Emmfinger, one of the premier college recruiting scouts. Christian was recruited to play football by several colleges including Concordia College, Moorhead, MN and North Dakota State School of Science, Wahpeton, ND. He recently made the decision to attend ND School of Science and was looking forward to college and the start of football in August. Christian always had a cheerful smile and a kind word to say to everyone. He was especially fond of his wrestling coaches and really enjoyed his Latin and Art Teachers who always had extra time for him. He loved to travel and enjoyed the many trips to Iowa to visit his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. As a parent, it was a joy just to rest our eyes on him and watch him grow to a young man. He never hung up the phone or left without saying "love you". He will be forever deeply missed by his family and those who knew and loved him. Christian is survived by his parents, two brothers, Brandon and Bryan Bjerk, both of Grand Forks, ND, his maternal grandparents William and Barbara Grimm, Waterloo, IA, and a host of aunts, uncles and cousins. Christian is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Keith and Marion Bjerk, and his great grandparents.