Ruth Christiansen (Brown)

A Live Broadcast of services may be viewed at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, January 16, 2021 at www.walkersanderson.com
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Ruth Brown Christiansen, 93, passed away peacefully on January 7, 2021, at the home of her daughter in Pleasant Grove, Utah. She was born April 29, 1927, in Lovell, Wyoming, and raised by loving parents Eben Ray and Marie Brown. She was the 8th of 9 children, all of whom preceded her in death. She married her high school sweetheart Cloyd LaVell Christiansen on January 15, 1947, in the Salt Lake Temple.

Mom was raised on a dairy farm in Lovell, Wyoming until the age of twelve when her family moved to Manila, an area of Pleasant Grove, Utah. As a young child, she developed a love for reading, a passion that stayed with her throughout her life. (It wasn’t a secret to anyone in the family that Mom sometimes skipped to the last pages of a novel to read the ending to determine if the book was a worthwhile read.) She graduated from Pleasant Grove High School as an honor student, and she earned the distinction of giving the opening talk at her commencement ceremony. After high school, Mom attended Brigham Young University while waiting for her sweetheart to return home from the Navy after WWII.

Mom was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Throughout her membership in the church, she served in many callings in the Primary, Sunday School, and Relief Society. Upon retirement, Mom and Dad served a Spanish speaking mission in Long Beach, California. Their service in the church also included the opportunity to serve as ordinance workers in the Provo and Timpanogos Temples for twelve years. Mom was a woman of strong faith – she loved to share her testimony of the gospel and serving others was one of her greatest joys.

Mom had a love of baking, shopping, and sports. Her talent as a homemaker inspired her to pass her baking skills on to her children and grandchildren, and her homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, and pies were a favorite for many. Along with baking, her love for shopping was also passed to her children and grandchildren; everyone in the family has fond memories of shopping trips with her. Although Mom had a penchant for baking and shopping, she, arguably, enjoyed sports most of all. You could oftentimes find her with Dad, watching either football, basketball, volleyball, or baseball– especially if it involved BYU. They were also part of the BYU Cougar Club, which lead them to many exciting times traveling across the country with friends to the BYU football games. It was an activity that both Mom and Dad shared an affinity for, and they loved to enjoy it together.

But overall, her family was her greatest joy. Mom was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, and together with the family, she enjoyed countless adventures including trips, barbeques, parties– and especially our weekly Sunday evening gathering. Her smile lit up the room and brightened everyone’s day, and she loved to share stories about her heritage and about Dad. Her family loved to hear the stories that accompanied her extensive genealogy work to preserve the memory of her husband and her family. Whenever she was in the midst of family, she was her most fulfilled.

Ruth is survived by her children: Linda (Mark) Strong, Pleasant Grove, David (Vicki) Christiansen, West Jordan, Paul (Stacey) Christiansen, Orem, Jean ( Mitchell) Albrecht, Alpine, Kent (Eleanor) Dukepoo, Orem; 27 grandchildren; 65 great-grandchildren; and 7 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Cloyd Christiansen, her son Grieg, her daughter RuthAnn Hansen, and grandsons Jason Strong and Braiden Albrecht.

Her funeral will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at 11:00 AM for immediate family only. Others may join via live webcast at www.walkersanderson.com, please join us as we celebrate her life. Because we are unable to meet together with our friends and extended family at this time, we would love for you to share your memories and comments about Ruth with us on the Walker Sanderson website.