Cheryl Nadine Thelin's Obituary
Cheryl Nadine Rigby Thelin, 80, of Sterling, Idaho, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend, returned to the loving arms of her Heavenly Father on Saturday, June 13, 2020. She is now reveling in finally being able to see everything around her again as well as being reunited with her beloved husband, Heber, after being separated from him for 39 years. She is also very happy to be with all her family members who have gone before.
Cheryl was born on July 3,1939, in Malad, Idaho, to Frederick “J” and Ardith Dennis Rigby. She was born at the home of her grandparents, Thomas and Anna Dennis. The oldest of 6 children, she was raised in the small community of Sublette, Idaho. She graduated from Raft River High School in Malta, Idaho in 1957. She was a Ground Observer Corps Volunteer for the US Air Force until she was released from service on January 31,1959.
She attended LDS Business College in Salt Lake City, Utah. While there, she discovered the Utah Genealogical Society and caught the “genealogy bug” This is when she first became interested in doing Family History work.
She met her husband, Heber, while living in Salt Lake City. They went on a blind date set up by a woman she met at work. She said, “It was one of those blind dates that worked out!” Heber ran an automotive repair shop and service station in Salt Lake City where she would stop by to help him after she finished work.
She married Heber John Thelin, Sr. on September 20, 1960, in the Salt Lake Temple. While in Salt Lake City, they had 2 children, Heber John Jr. and Teresa Nadine. Later, Cheryl and Hebe decided that they wanted to raise their children in the country. So they found a business location in Springfield, Idaho to rent and moved to the small community in 1963. Kathy Machelle arrived the following year along with an opportunity to move a few miles down the road to Sterling, Idaho. It was here that they decided to build their permanent home and Hebe’s new business.
Over the next few years, more new arrivals joined their family Brian Rangner and Lisa Ann. In 1968, due to a furnace failure, the family endured the tragedy of a house fire. Cheryl stated, “We saved the most important thing, our family! Everything else can be replaced.” Five years later, Eric Knute arrived in the family.
In 1975, the family had the opportunity to live in Sweden for a year. Heber’s family was from Sweden and he and Cheryl wanted their children to connect with the Swedish people and the family that still lived there. Cheryl and her children studied very hard to learn Swedish at a community education class before leaving. Once there, she continued to work hard learning and speaking Swedish but she said it was a bit frustrating because, “While we wanted to practice Swedish, they all wanted to practice their English!” While living in Sweden, they had a new arrival, Mikael Curt.
Hebe would fly back and forth to Idaho to keep the family business going and then fly back to Sweden to visit. During that year, he also shipped a motorhome over so they could tour Europe together as a family. It truly was the grand family vacation that they had hoped for and sacrificed to share with their children and it was certainly an adventure the entire family would remember. To finish the trip, they decided to come home via a luxury cruise ship - the “Queen Elizabeth II.” Cheryl said it was good to see the Statue of Liberty when they got back into the United States. Even though it was a wonderful year in Sweden and an enjoyable trip through Europe, she was very grateful to be going home. A year later her eighth child, Clifford Ray, was born.
In November of 1981, Cheryl lost her dear husband, Heber, in an airplane accident. But even in the face of such a sudden tragedy, she stated that “The gospel and my children are what got me through that time.” It is also what got her through the many tough years that followed.
A year and a half later, she started working with the extraction program for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, extracting census records. She continued doing extraction work for more than 10 years. Cheryl loved doing genealogy. In 1998, she decided to serve a mission to the Salt Lake City Genealogical Center. After returning from her mission she continued to do research and work on family history. She continued to do so until she gradually lost her eyesight in the early 2000. Though her vision was failing, her faith never wavered; she kept pushing forward, with even greater faith and often encouraged other members of her family to continue her research.
Cheryl always loved gardening and tending to her tomatoes, roses, lilacs and rhubarb. These brought her great joy. She even cultivated a boysenberry bush. In a nutshell, she loved being outside. She loved sewing, learning new crafts, and enjoyed making homemade gifts for her family. She enjoyed playing games, especially Boggle. She loved hearing jokes - all kinds of Jokes! She truly loved to laugh and would often call one of her kids, just to hear a joke. Cheryl greatly enjoyed hosting family get-togethers, especially during the holidays. It made her very happy to have her friends and family close. She treasured the time that she spent with them. And when she couldn't be with them in person, she always tried to keep in touch with her family by talking on the phone.
Cheryl was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints throughout her life and the way she lived her life was a testimony of her love for the Savior and His gospel.
Cheryl is survived by 3 siblings, Julia Parker, Vickie (Dennis) Lindsay, Steve (Ann) Rigby,
8 children and 23 grandchildren:
John (June) Thelin, their 3 children John, Ursula, and Xander.
Teresa (Bryan) Romrell and their 4 children, Jacob (Melanie) Romrell, Amber (Brandon) Voils, Correy (Kimi) Romrell, SuziAnn (Larry) Stegall.
Machelle (Glen) Haner, their 9 children Cossette and Dan Haddock, Tatiana and Kyler Kent, Anastasia and Jason Shepard, Kimberly, and Spencer Henderson, Arianna, Gabriella, Anika, and Mercedi.
Brian (Angelina) Thelin, their 5 children Angel and Steve Mendoza, Elizabeth and Steve Young, Crystal Thelin and Derek Bilancia, Daniel, Annette.
Lisa (Mark) English, their 4 children Damien, Devin, Ashlee, Dylan
Eric (Jennifer) Thelin, their 3 children EmmaLee, Joey, and Amyleah.
Mike (Kristen) Thelin.
Cliff (Caitlin) Thelin.
As well as 22 great grandchildren:
Maverick Romrell, Dallas Romrell, Harper Romrell, Presley Wilkins, Derrick Wilkins, Emilee Voils, Evan Voils, Keegan Romrell, Corrissa Romrell, Calista Romrell, Carrera Romrell, Alexander Stegall, Emma Stegall, Larry Stegall, CeNedra Stegall, Hallia Stegall, Anitra Haddock, Laddicus Haddock, Emily Mendoza, Esebella Young, Scarlet Young, Connor Young.
Cheryl is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Heber John Thelin Sr., her parents Fred and Ardith Rigby and 2 brothers, Jim and Thomas Rigby.
A small graveside service held at the Springfield Cemetery, on Saturday, June 20, 2020, at 12:00 P.M.
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