Mary Vee Christensen of San Tan Valley, Arizona, returned to our loving Father in Heaven on August 7, 2024. She was 64 years old. She was surrounded by her family and had a very peaceful passing.
Mary was born September 16, 1959, to Carl LeRoy and Mary Alice Stanley in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was the third of five children. She often spoke of her happy childhood.
She married her eternal sweetheart, Dale Ray Christensen, on September 21, 1978, in the Manti LDS temple. Together they raised five children and welcomed nineteen grandchildren.
Mary is survived by her husband, of 46 years, Dale Christensen; her children, Ryan Christensen (Kimberly), Candace Knouse (Nicholas), Jeremy Christensen (Kathleen), Jason Christensen (Sebasten Rieper), Brandon Christensen (Kelcie); her father, Carl Stanley; her siblings, Katherine Peterson (Andrew), Steven Stanley (Shelley), Sandra Bean (Thomas), and Wendy Smith; her grandchildren, Dallon, Tristan (Kimmie), RyLee, Andon, Travers, Harlie, Peyton, Taylor, McKayla, Lilly, Logan, Jacob, Beau, Brigham, Emersyn, Everleigh, Brielle, and Lexi.
She is preceded to Heaven by her mother, Mary Alice Stanley; her brothers-in-law, Charles Smith and Curtis Hatch; her nephews, Herman Bean, Jared Hatch, and Kevin Hatch; her nieces, Heather Christensen and Camille Hatch, and her mother and father-in-law, Don Ray and Ramona Christensen.
Mary was the heart of our home and family and she will be dearly missed. She put her family above anything else on earth. She loved her children and her grandchildren whole-heartedly and unconditionally. She will be remembered for many things including, Fall craft days, her love of family traditions, her deliberately out of tune birthday wishes, warm hugs, her love of butterflies, hearts, and all things pink, her ability to make special days extra special, her uncanny ability to know when something was wrong with someone she loved, her delicious puffed rice balls, strawberry jam, and cinnamon rolls, and her beautiful eyes that laughed when she smiled.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the physicians and nurses at Banner Heart Hospital for their loving care. We would also like to thank her friends, close neighbors, ward members, and family for your love and support over the past several years. It meant so much to Mary!
A viewing and memorial for Mary will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 3572 East Guadalupe Road, Gilbert, Arizona, 85234 on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 11:00 AM. A luncheon will be provided. Mary did not want a “formal” service so the family invites those who wish to do so to share a special story or memory at her service. After the service, Mary will be laid to rest at 2:00 PM at San Tan Memorial Gardens at Schnepf Farms, 22425 East Cloud Road, Queen Creek, Arizona, 85142.
