Letha Christensen Gilbert returned at last to the arms of her beloved husband, passing away in her sleep on the morning of March 14th at the home of her daughter in Corvallis, Montana. She was 96 years old. Letha was born on September 3rd, 1918, in Downey, Idaho to James William and Agnes Maris Christensen. Raised in a family of two brothers, Stan and Scott, and three sisters, Leah (her twin), Carmen, and Janiece, Letha attended school in Downey, graduating from High School in 1936. Two of her sisters passed away during childhood, Carmen in 1925 and Janiece in 1936, and her father tragically passed away in 1937. Letha was especially close to her twin sister, Leah, saying later that they both “dressed alike, were about the same size, but didn’t look or act alike.” Letha graduated from Idaho State University, Southern Branch, with a degree in Elementary Education in 1940.
In 1941, Letha was teaching fourth grade in Bancroft, Idaho when she met “the man of her dreams”, Heber Jesse Gilbert, at a school Christmas program. In her own words: “We were invited to go to a special dance in Logan, Utah, at the USAC ‘Icicle Hop’, the ballroom was beautifully decorated and Heber was so handsome and I was captivated. It was a very romantic and memorable weekend. On the way home we stopped at a service station at Lava Hot Springs. It became a romantic spot all our lives for it was the place where Heber proposed to me. He presented me with a diamond ring a short time later.” Letha and Heber were married on March 20, 1942, in the Logan Utah temple of the Church of Latter Day Saints. They would be married for 55 years, only parted, with the exception of Heber’s service in World War II, by his death in August of 1997.
During Heber’s service in the Coast Guard during the war, Letha took every opportunity to be with him as his duties allowed, braving dangerous winter storms and great distances to be at her husband’s side. During this time, their first daughter, Lynne, was born in 1943 in California. Shortly thereafter, Heber was assigned sea duty and Letha returned to Idaho, once again teaching school in Downey. Following Heber’s return from the war, the couple farmed in Bancroft Idaho, and during this time two more children were born, son James William in 1947 and daughter, Ardith Marie in 1950. Heber, however, had always dreamed of owning a cattle ranch, so in July of 1951 the family moved to Victor, Montana, and began raising cattle on a 1500 acre ranch on Sheafman Creek. In 1952, their youngest daughter, Judith Ann, was born in Hamilton.
Heber’s health only allowed him to run his ranch for a short while, and in 1957 the ranch was sold and the family moved into Victor. Letha began teaching second grade in Victor, and would continue to do so for the next 26 years. Counting the time she spent teaching in Idaho, she had been a teacher for a total of thirty years by the time she retired in 1983, having touched the lives of literally hundreds of children. She always loved flowers, and there were always blooms in both her classrooms and her home. Both before and after her retirement, the most important thing in Letha’s life was her husband and her family. As her family grew over the years, so did the inspiration, love, and guidance she so freely gave to all of her family. Over a gentle, sweet exterior that sometimes may have even seemed timid was a strong loving woman with a brave heart that would brave blizzards to reach her husband’s side, or could put her only son on a plane to Vietnam. She might refuse to ride an escalator, but she could make a used car salesman wish he’d picked a different profession. Birthdays, Christmas mornings, picnics and camping trips, family reunions, and many other memories will always be treasured by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren for the rest of their lives and will be passed on to the generations to come.
Letha was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, by her husband Heber in 1997, a great-grandson, Jaden Wayne Chavez in 2012, and a son-in-law, Gary O’Dell in 2014.
She is survived by her children, daughter Lynne Atwood (Thane) of Centerville, Utah, son James William Gilbert (Michelle) of Salt Lake City, Utah, Ardie O’Dell (Gary) of Hamilton, Montana, and Judith Edens (Wayne) of Corvallis, Montana; grandchildren, Tatia Atwood-White (Dan), Keary O’Dell (Tracy), Jennifer Atwood (Geoff), Korey O’Dell (Holly), Jonathan Atwood, Dawn Chavez (Al), and Jesse Edens (Hannah). She is also survived by seventeen great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 21st at the Stevensville Stake Center. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the Stake Center. Interment will follow at Victor Cemetery. Condolences may be left for the family at www.dalyleachchapel.com.
The family would also like to thank Hannah, Lotti and Chase, whose care was a great comfort to Letha in her last days.
Marie says
I am so very sorry for the loss you have suffered. May you find comfort in knowing that soon the God of all comfort will eradicate suffering and death, giving not only us a hope for the future but also our dead loved ones. -Psalms 37:29; Isaiah 25:8; Acts 24:15.