Lila Christiansen

MORGAN a�" Lila Thomas Marchant Christiansen, 87, our loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully Saturday, May 7, 2011 at the home of her daughter Marilyn in Manti, Utah. She rejoined her beloved husband Rellus after 49 years.

Lila was born in Peoa, Utah April 5, 1924 to Abraham Franklin and Mary Ellen (Thomas) Marchant. She attended the University of Utah and graduated from BYU. She married Rellus Elmer Christiansen May 27, 1947 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They lived in Emery, Utah until he passed away in 1962. She then returned to BYU to get her teaching certificate. For four years she taught school then, became the librarian at Morgan Elementary School until she retired in 1986.

A devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, she was an example to all of us throughout her life. Lila taught in the Primary, Sunday School, Mutual and served as an ordinance worker in the Ogden Temple, doing temple work for as many as 100 names in a year. Following her retirement she served LDS missions in Lima, Peru, and London, England. She loved family history work and records name extraction, she also enjoyed serving others and visiting the widows.

Lila loved to travel and went on several cruises, visiting the Mediterranean, Europe, the Holy Land, South America, and the United States, including Alaska. Being a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she was always excited to have family visit and especially loved to see the babies. Surviving her are one son and four daughters: Clay (Diane) Christiansen of Bountiful, Jane Peterson of Morgan, Debra (Tom) Carley of Las Vegas, Marilyn (Dean) Halling of Manti and Brenda Christiansen of Murray. She adored her 30 grandchildren and 63 great-grandchildren, with three more on the way. Lila was preceded in death by three brothers and two sisters, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She has one surviving sister, Florence Jones of Salt Lake City.

The family is especially grateful to Marilyn and Dean Halling for the loving care they gave to our mother in the last months of her life. She was also fortunate enough to have wonderful neighbors that watched over her in her later years, we can't thank them enough. Funeral services will be held Friday, May 13th at 11:00 a.m. in the Morgan Utah Stake Center. Friends and family may call Thursday at the Walker Mortuary in Morgan from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday at the church from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.

Interment will be Saturday, May 14 at 1 p.m. in the Emery, Utah Cemetery.