Kristina P. Steffen, age 19, of Annandale passed from our world into Heaven on Sunday, February 9, 2014 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital surrounded by her loved ones. She left her family's loving arms and was gently passed into the hand of God.

Funeral Services will be held 2:00 p.m. Sunday, February 16, 2014 at St. John's Lutheran Church, Annandale. Rev. Dave Nelson will officiate. Visitation will be from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 15, 2014 at St. John's Lutheran Church. A Time of Remembrance will be held at 7:00 p.m. Saturday. Further visitation will also be held one hour prior to the service on Sunday at the church. Private burial will follow at Pleasantview Cemetery.

Kristina Paige Steffen was born October 21, 1994 in Bryansk, Russia. Kristina, along with her older brother, Karill, and younger brother, Alex, were abandoned by their birth parents and were placed in an orphanage. Through Rick and Lori, it was shown that no distance is too great to travel for the love of a child, as Kristina and her brother, Alex, were adopted on April 20, 2004. At the age of 9, Kristina and Alex came home to Annandale.

While in school, Kristina participated in track, volleyball, basketball, choir, student council and National Honor Society. She was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, where she participated in a mission trip to Kokomo, Indiana. Currently, Kristina was a senior at Annandale High School but was attending St. Cloud State University through PSEO. She was employed at Triple R restaurant in Kimball where she would greet patrons with her beloved Kristina smile. She also worked as a dietary aide at Parkview Care Center.  Kristina's natural beauty shined as she recently began modeling wedding dresses. After high school graduation and college, Kristina looked forward to getting married and starting a family. Her dream was to work as a social worker in child protection/advocacy, to protect children that experienced similar early childhood circumstances such as she did. She truly wanted to make a difference.

Kristina loved to be social and always wanted to be around people! She enjoyed walking up to people to meet them for the first time and develop a friendship. She could make friends quickly, as her contagious smile and laugh were a few of the many qualities people loved about her. She was a goofy, friendly, loving, spirited, child at heart, young woman, that loved to chat and visit.  While she could be strong willed and impatient, she was always there to help others in need. Kristina was also not afraid to tell you exactly what she thought. She loved romantic movies, as she was a romantic at heart, and she always enjoyed happy endings! Kristina was never without her phone. She was known for posting photos of life quotes, animals, and selfies. Kristina had an adventurous spirit and liked the ideas of exciting activities, yet she remained cautious. She liked to be in control of the situation, often preferring to drive the snowmobile or 4-wheeler instead of letting Travis or Alex. Kristina was a protective big sister. She liked to tease Alex, however, no one else was allowed to. Their bond and love for each other was unbreakable. Travis was the sunshine in Kristina's life. She loved him with all her heart and she expressed this to everyone that was around her. She adored the time she spent with Travis. If she physically could not be with him, she was often sending him texts or snapchats.

Above all, Kristina treasured the time she spent with her family and friends.

Kristina is survived by her parents, Rick & Lori of Annandale; brother, Alex, of Annandale; boyfriend, Travis Wills of Kimball; grandparents, Ron & MaryAnn Geisinger of Annandale and Donald & Carol Steffen of Raymond, MN; great grandparents, Art & Ruby Geisinger of Annandale;  along with many other supportive and loving family and friends. She is preceded in death by infant twin siblings, Joseph and Grace Ann and great grandmother, Irma Uecker.

Desiree Steffen, Caleb Mol, Sarah Happe, Sara Laudenbach, Alex Hohenstein and Elisa Legatt will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Preston Wills, McKenna Wills, Josh Mol, Hannah Jakel, Miriam Jakel, Skye Steffen and Ethan Happe. Arrangements are entrusted to Dingmann Funeral Care Burial & Cremation Services of Annandale.

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