Bettina "Tina" Creel's Obituary
On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Bettina (Tina) April Creel died peacefully with her family at her side ending her almost three year battle with cancer. Tina was born October 3, 1946 in Manhattan, NY to Betty (Zellner) Knight and Elmer "Pete" Smith. When she was 11 she moved to Southern California and lived with her father. She graduated from Poly High School in Long Beach, CA in 1964. She then moved to Utah to attend BYU and graduated with a B.A. in French in 1968. She married John Christopherson that same year and together, they adopted their two children, Jordan and Karen. They were married for 28 years. In 1996 Tina earned her M.A. in Education to pursue a career in Educational Counseling. She aspired to make a difference in the life of others as a school guidance counselor for the Granite School District. She held positions at Kearns Jr. High, Granite Middle School, Eisenhower Jr High and Cottonwood High School. In 2003 she met Richard Creel and they were married in June of that year. Richard and Tina were married for 9 years and were sealed in the Jordan River LDS Temple. They enjoyed traveling to new destinations together including several trips across the US and also overseas to the Mediterranean. Her interests and passions included horses, reading, dancing, genealogy, travel and searching out treasures at antique and second-hand stores. She worked as a travel agent when she was younger and her love of travel took her to Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, Fiji, and Australia. Tina was a very caring and loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She always had a concern for the needs of others and made many sacrifices for those she cared about. She had a strong love for the LDS Gospel and found guidance and comfort in its teachings. She was a beautiful and fearless woman who will be missed deeply. Tina is survived by her husband, Richard Creel, her children, Jordan Christopherson, Karen J. Christopherson (Kevin), her granddaughter, Katelynn Goode and 7 step-grandchildren. Friends and Family are invited to join us as we celebrate her life with services being held Tuesday September 18, 2012 at 11am at the LDS chapel located at 1750 E. Spring Lane (5240 S.) in Holladay. Visitation prior to services from 9:45am-10:45am as well as a viewing Monday evening at the church from 7:00pm-9:30pm.
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