Carole (Christensen) Mathews

Carole Christensen Mathews

1936 ~ 2026

Carole Christensen Mathews, 89, passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 1, 2026, in Cedar Hills, Utah.

Carole was born on October 20, 1936, in Durango, Colorado, to Vaugh L. Christensen and Irene Cardon. She spent her first eleven years on a small farm in southern Colorado where she was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Doctor Morrison Ditch that ran behind her family’s home. She later lived with her eight brothers and sisters on another beautiful farm in a yellow house next to the Animas River, in Farmington, New Mexico. She often spoke fondly of an idyllic family life filled with hayrides, ukulele playing, and cookouts and campouts on the bluffs above their farm.

Carole attended Brigham Young University before marrying her childhood friend and sweetheart, Irvin Robertson Mathews, following his missionary service in the Mesa Arizona Temple on October 29, 1958. Together they built a life centered on faith and family, raising their children in Gunnison, Utah, where Carole lived most of her life. In her later years, she resided in Payson, Utah where her husband preceded her in death in 2017. She then lived her remaining time in Cedar Hills, Utah, near her children and grandchildren. 

She was a devoted and loving mother to her children: Kathleen (Lynn), Michael, Nathan (Peggy), Kristeen, Jennifer (Jathon), and David (Korina). She loved her children and her growing posterity immensely, which included 16 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. She often reminded her family that they were her greatest joy and that she prayed for each by name every day.

Carole had a deep love for gardening and found beauty and meaning in the world around her. She had a special love for red cardinal birds, which she saw as tender reminders of heaven and of the enduring presence of loved ones. Cardinals filled her home—in decorations, keepsakes, and quiet symbols of faith. She was known for finding spiritual meaning in everyday moments, always connecting them back to her Savior, Jesus Christ, and to her family. She will be remembered as a loving, angelic mother and for her steady reassurance: “It will all work out.”

Funeral services will be held Friday, May 8th, at 10:00 a.m., in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Chapel located at, 9737 Chesterfield Drive, Cedar Hills, Utah, 84062.Interment will take place at 2:00 p.m. at Gunnison Valley Cemetery in Gunnison, Utah.

In moments when a red cardinal appears, may it serve as a gentle reminder of Carole’s love, her faith, and the eternal connections she cherished so deeply.

Flowers may be sent to Warenski Funeral Home, 1776 North 900 East, American Fork, Utah 84003.

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