HOME OF JOSEPH JENSEN and wife ROSELIA ANN FARNSWORTH (from our archives)

 

 

 

PIONEER OBITUARIES

 

STUDENTBODY OFFICERS NORTH SANPETE HIGH SCHOOL 1931

 

 

Lois Jennie Christensen Jessen

August 4, 1934 — October 22, 2025

Mt. Pleasant

Listen to Obituary

Lois Jennie Christensen was born August 4th 1934 in Moroni Utah, to Darwin Christensen and Verbena Sudweeks. She loved her childhood in the little town of Moroni. She had two older sisters, Joyce and Wanda.

She felt a very close connection to her Grandpa Christensen who lived just across the street. She would walk across Main Street once or twice a day to just sit and be with him. He would tell her about the beautiful place Denmark, where he had come from. This became one of her deepest wishes to go see this land. Many years later this dream came true.

Lois attended kindergarten where she made a very special friend, LaRue Tidwell, who lived a short distance from her home. She hadn’t met her until school. They became best friends and were inseparable for the next six years. About a week before Junior High School was to begin, her friend LaRue got sick. In a short few days things turned worse and she died from the dreaded polio disease. Lois attended the funeral on the first day they were to go back to school. She said this was the saddest day of her life.

Lois met Edward Clarence Jessen in January of 1952 at a dance at the Old Bungalow. He danced with her, then asked if he could give her a ride home. From that night on they were always together. They married March 6, 1953 in the Manti Temple. This fulfilled a goal that she set for herself when she and her Primary class had attended the temple to do baptisms for the dead. She got to see this beautiful place and wanted to return there to be married, and she did. They were married for 72 years.

They became the proud parents of Vickie ( Cory), Craig (Susan), Randy (Sue), Julie ( Clark), Jim ( Vikki), Patti ( Scott) Brad (Jennifer).

They raised their family in Hunter Utah and then in Spanish Fork Utah.

Later in life, they moved back to the family farm in Mt. Pleasant. With much hard work it became their beautiful home. They loved when they were called to serve as ordinance workers at the Manti Temple and enjoyed serving there.

She loved her garden and her flowers. She would eat the produce from the garden and always enjoyed her tomato sandwiches.

She spent endless hours doing Temple and Family History work. She learned to love her ancestors and do their temple work for them.

She is preceded in death by her parents, sisters, Joyce and Wanda, a son in law, Clark Taylor and three great grandchildren.

Lois Jennie Christensen Jessen lived with love and gratitude each and every day to the very end. She loved her Heavenly Father, and her Savior Jesus Christ. She loved The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And she loved each and every member of her family with all her heart.

Funeral services were held October 28, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. in the Mt. Pleasant North Stake Center (461 N. 300 W.) with a viewing from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. prior to services at the church. Interment in the Mt. Pleasant City Cemetery. Online condolences at rasmussenmortuary.com

To Watch Recorded Funeral Service Click Here.

To Watch Recorded Graveside Service Click Here.

HOME OF HENRY MILLS AND WIFE ANN ALLEN

 

MAYBELLE FRANDSEN LETTERS TO THE PYRAMID

 

HEAP BIG WATERS 1918 ~~~Shared by Judy Malkiewicz

 

June 18, 1918, during W. D. Candland's term as mayor, Mt. Pleasant was visited by a number of floods, one being the biggest in the history of the city. Great boulders and rocks were carried with the stream of mud, damaging bridges and fences, sweeping down the streets and through city lots, covering gardens and filling basements, and completely filling the channels with debris, rocks, etc. One life was lost, that of Louis Oldham, who, near his home east of the city, slipped and fell into the stream. Some days later, his body was found in the debris west of the city. A few days after the flood, a group of convicts were sent from the state penitentiary to assist in clearing out Pleasant Creek channel. Many local men volunteered their assistance. p 200 "History of Mt. Pleasant" by Hilda Madsen Longsdorf

Mt. Pleasant's First Murder (taken from History of Mt. Pleasant by Hilda Madsen Longsdorf)

JACOB CHRISTENSEN and wife INGER KRISTENA JENSEN (Thomsen)~~~ Pioneers of the Month ~~~ November 2025

Jacob and Inger Christensen

 

Inger was born Feb. 6, 1833 in Napstyert, Jutland, Denmark. Her parents were Thomas Christian Jensen and Else Margrethe Olsen. Inger grew up on a farm. No doubt she learned many valuable lessons on the farm, which helped her throughout her life.  She met and fell in love with Jacob Christensen. He had joined the LDS church in his native land of Denmark on Feb. 20, 1853. His mother Maren Pedersen Peterson was also a member of the church. His father Christen Peterson had passed away a few years earlier. Inger joined the church in June of the same year. Two years later, Inger and Jacob were married on Jan.17, 1855. Jacob was 28 years old and Inger was 22 years old. One year later Jan. 16, 1856 a little son Thomas was born to their family. They were a happy family and they were dedicated to their new faith, but troubles soon began. Because they had joined the church, family, neighbors, and friends ostracized them. They found it hard to live in Denmark where there were so many negative feelings about the church. So within two years of their marriage they decided to immigrate to the United States and join the saints in Utah. 

There are conflicting stories that have been handed down. One is that they received the money they needed for travel from the Perpetual Emigration Fund of the church and the other is that Inger’s parents gave them the needed money. With the financial help they left their beloved home on Friday April 18, 1857. Jacob, Inger, baby Thomas and Jacob’s mother, Maren joined 536 Scandinavian Saints who sailed from Copenhagen on the steamer L. N. Hvidt. The ship arrived at Grimsby, England on April 21 in the afternoon. The following day they rode a train to Liverpool. On April 25, 1857 these and other saints, 544 total, sailed from Liverpool on the ship Westmoreland. At this time Inger was just 23 years old with a baby of 15 months. Her husband was 29 and his mother was 68 years old. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean lasted 36 days. There were good feelings of harmony among these saints. On May 31 they arrived in Philadelphia. Elder Angus M. Cannon who was the emigration agent at that port received the emigrants. They made arrangements to continue their journey to Utah. On June 2 they left Philadelphia on a train. They arrived in Iowa City on June 9, 1857. Most emigrants crossed the plains immediately afterwards but some saints did not have the means to continue. This was the case for Jacob and Inger and their family. Sadness came to them with the passing of Jacob’s mother soon after they arrived in Omaha, Nebraska. They remained there for two years. Although Jacob worked at whatever employment he could find, they lived under the most trying circumstances. One time Jacob was obliged to trade one shirt, of his supply of two, for a bushel of frozen turnips. 

Inger was very happy to finally have her parents join them in Omaha in 1859. They had sailed from England on the William Tapscott ship on April 11, 1859. It appears that they had also joined the church in Denmark and gathered with other emigrating saints. They had a pleasant journey of 31 days on the ship. Although there were nine different languages spoken and many different customs they enjoyed meeting together for morning and evening prayers and Sunday meetings and also gathering for singing, music, dancing and games. They arrived in New York Harbor May 14, 1859. They traveled by train and steamboat and finally arrived in Florence, Nebraska on May 25, 1859.

With their supplies ready and the arrival of Inger’s parents, the Christensen family was ready to make the trek to Utah. Jacob, Inger, and son Tommy and Inger’s parents Thomas and Else Jensen joined the Robert F. Neslen Handcart Company. This was the only handcart company to cross the plains in 1859. According to a pioneer diary they left June 6, 1859. Along with a handcart, they received utensils, a water-can, bedding and food rations.. A tent was provided for each ten persons. The company comprised 235 persons, with 60 handcarts, and six ox-drawn wagons to haul provisions and the sick. The company was very organized with sub-captains for each 10 carts. There were many hardships along the way. They would travel from 16 to 22 miles a day. There were blisters and mosquitoes and occasional trouble with the Indians. There often was not enough food to satisfy their appetites. On Aug. 22 the provisions were scarce and people were starving. It wasn’t until Aug 25 that wagons from SLC rescued the handcart company. They found out that the supply wagons had traveled day and night to bring food and assistance. 

While crossing the plains, Jacob and Inger had a great misfortune. Their only child died. The company halted and buried little Tommy. Jacob, overcome with grief, threw himself across the newly made grave declaring he could not go on and leave his little boy. According to his great granddaughter, Elizabeth Averett Vance he asked, “ Inger, is it worth it? We have lost our families, our friends, our home and our country. My mother died. And now this. Is it worth it?” Inger, grasping hold of him said, “Jacob Christensen, you know it is worth it. It is worth it and more. Now you get up off that grave. We must go on.” 

HAPPY DISNEY HALLOWEEN

 

HOME OF ROBERT KENNER and wife ANNE MARGARET RASMUSSEN ~~~Researched, compiled and updated by Tudy Brentsen Standlee

 

HOME OF LEVI FRANKLIN PRITCHETT and WIFE SARAH ELLEN THOMPSON (From our archives)

 

 

 

MT. PLEASANT GRAVE MARKERS 2005 (From Our Archives)

 

Just a random  selection  of photos  ~  Some are friends, some relatives, some very significant to Mt. Pleasant History 

Clark Truscott, a lifelong friend of Peter Hafen

Mrs. Clitheroe ~ A friend of My Mother's

Alice and Niel Hafen  (Peter and "our kids")

Oscar Anderson

Jack and Parline Shepherd
Peter puts an arrow this grave site in memory of many bow hunting trips. 

Orlin and Veone Simons, Our Daughter-in-law's relatives 

Annie Lizzie Buchanan

Annie Theresa Peel

Peter Madsen Peel and wife Christine Folkman Peel
Peter memorializes with a blacksmith crafted cattail.
Peter M. Peel, First Mt. Pleasant Blacksmith 

Hilda Madsen Longsdorf
Author of Mt. Pleasant History