Carla Christensen

Carla Maxfield Christensen, born in Salt Lake City, Utah to the late LeGrande O. Maxfield and Miriam Van Wagoner Maxfield, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family. Preceded in death by her husband, Ned Lewis Christensen and brother David Harlo Maxfield, she is survived by brother Nolan L. Maxfield (Peggy), sister Diane Lindholm (Reed), daughters Vicki C. Pyne (Tom) and Michelle McClain, son Jeffrey A. Christensen, 13 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

Carla, a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated herself to serving and blessing the lives of others. Her testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, was the foundation which inspired her exemplary life. She served multiple times as Relief Society President, as a dedicated Mission President’s wife and mission mom in Hokkaido, Japan and she served multiple times in the temple, as well as caring for the people around her. Her service included joining a club to design and sew quilts given to the homeless for warmth and comfort. She even faithfully accepted a calling to play the organ in church when she only had the experience of being a pianist.

Carla loved life. She hiked, camped, fished, loved telling stories of playing softball, particularly on a co-ed softball team with her husband, Ned. She talked of the times she went shooting with her uncle, climbed trees, and balanced walking across ceiling beams of houses under construction. In her early young adult years, she learned to fly and often spoke of her solo flights with excitement and passion. She learned to ski with her kids, loved to play tennis, and continued to play golf up until a year before passing, even when it meant she was golfing with her oxygen in tow.

Carla followed in the footsteps of her mother as an avid lover of the arts. She was an accomplished seamstress, quilter, and artist. She knitted, crocheted, and enjoyed a variety of forms of needlework. Her art mediums varied from watercolor to Japanese Sumi-e, to oil painting. Not only did she love creating and doing, but she also loved teaching others. She regularly declared that she could teach anyone how to draw - that art was inside of everyone just waiting to be expressed.

Carla dearly loved music. She often spoke of saving her own money to take piano and opera lessons taught by two German opera teachers. She could be heard, for many years, practicing vocal scales and music to be shared at various events, but memories of Easter performances are the most vivid for her children. As with her art, she not only practiced and performed on her own, but taught piano and voice lessons to others.

As the wife of an FBI agent from the 60’s to the 80’s, Carla was accustomed to regular moves around the country and even overseas. She willingly uprooted, refashioning new houses into welcoming family homes, always developing new hobbies and new friendships. Foremost, she cared for her family, seeing that all their needs were met long before she cared about her own. When her husband was called to be Mission President in Japan, she gladly went and served with him, sad to leave when her grandkids were being born but faithful in the knowledge that her family would be blessed by her willingness to serve her Lord. She fed and baked for missionaries and spoke at various church services, sometimes with a translator and sometimes reading from a translated to Japanese talk.

Carla lit up the room with her smile and laughter. She was dynamic, witty, and above everything else, she was always kind. She is loved by many and will be missed by all.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 8th, at 6pm, at Horan & MConaty Arvada Chapel. The Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, March 9th, at 2pm, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Alkire building in Arvada. To attend services virtually, please click here . A Graveside Service will be held on Saturday, March 11th, at 11am, at Salt Lake City Cemetery.