1929-2022
Ruthella Thomas Christensen passed away peacefully in her home on May 14, 2022. She was born the daughter of Wilford Sherwin Thomas and Ruth Rowe on March 9, 1929, in Goshen, Utah. She was the sixth of ten children. Ruthella attended elementary and junior high school in Goshen and graduated from Payson High School.
Ruthella married Pete Michael Christensen, her kindergarten sweetheart, on June 9, 1947. The marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake City Temple on June 9, 1955. They were together for 64 years, before Pete passed away in 2011.
Pete and Ruthella moved to Provo in 1951 where they raised six children, three sons and three daughters; Sandra (Kent) Johnston, Highland; Michael (Karma) Christensen, Spanish Fork; Susan (Ray) Evans, Colorado; Bruce (Leslie) Christensen, Highland; Garth (Jill) Christensen, Provo; and Wendy (Brent) Garrett, Arizona.
Her family now includes 29 Grandchildren, 59 Great-Grandchildren, and 2 Great-Great Grandchildren.
Ruthella was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Through her lifetime she served as a teacher in every organization, was a counselor in ward and stake auxiliaries, and was the president of the Primary and Relief Society in her ward. She and Pete served 4 missions; the Columbus, Ohio Mission, the Provo Missionary Training Center, the Palmyra, New York Temple, and the Provo Employment Center.
Ruthella loved to cook and sew. We all loved her bread, and the Grandchildren especially loved her cookies. She was often seen in her garden, and was constantly running out of books to read. Especially in her later years she could often be found reading and studying the Scriptures and the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is hard for us to imagine life without her!
Ruthella is survived by four sisters; Anita Allen, California; JoAnn (Richard) Dunn, Tooele; Sherry (Richard) Bell, Payson, Utah; Leann Larsen, Wyoming; and one Sister-in-law, Louise Thomas, Goshen.
The viewing will be held Monday, 5/23 from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building at 1120 N 850 W Provo, Utah. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, 5/24 from11:00 AM-12:00 noon, following a viewing from 9:30 – 10:30 AM at the same building.
To view the service remotely, go to Legacy Funerals & Cremations Facebook page.
To leave condolences for the family of Ruthella, visit www.legacy funerals.com
