- Date Of Birth: February 20, 1956
- Date Of Death: December 31, 2020
- State: Idaho
Darlene Anne Christensen Adams entered the world on 20 February, 1956, at the LDS Hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Her parents, Ivan Wayne Christensen and Alice Ann Harker would later give her two brothers and a sister, Duane (Jan), Debra, and Dennis. Being a natural caretaker, Mom continued throughout her life to feel a strong love for her siblings.
Darlene’s greatest joy was being a mom.
We have come to believe that if Mom knew how much fun grandkids were, she would have had them first. Her first grandchild was born while her kids were still young. Her loves are: Taylor (Nathan Johnson), Tyson, Stedson (Destaney Neilson), Natalie, Logan, Caiden, Jaxon, Ayden and Cali. These little people had grandma hook, line and sinker.
Mom gave her heart to two husbands, Jon (our dad), and later, John Hartley, a friend she’s had until this time.
Mom loves all things beautiful. She worked very hard and would often be found wearing blue jeans and button-down shirt, but she loved being pampered too. As young girls, we remember sitting on the couch behind mom while we “fixed” her hair. This included very little brushing and a whole lot of hair bows. We thought we were making mom beautiful–she knew we were creating relationships.
Mom taught us to love and serve others. As kids we remember being sent on an errand to deliver a wagon full of food to a woman who was experiencing a difficult time. Another time, Mom decided we all needed to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at the soup kitchen. This holiday could have been especially difficult for our family, but mom gave us a day we each cherish.
Mom taught us to work hard, a lesson passed on to her from her beloved pioneer ancestry. Besides raising six children, one of her greatest joys was designing and building the home we lovingly refer to as the “blue house.” Mom spent nearly every day for a year doing everything from pouring concrete to securing trusses…she was part of it all. Every piece of this project had her love tied to it. After all, this was her gift to her family.
Saying that Mom LOVED to sew would be an understatement. In fact, during quarantine, the fabric store was on her short list of necessary shopping. She found joy in making us matching dresses. The girls all have beautiful blessing dresses while the boys have tuxedos, lovingly made by Mom. We all have at least one blanket (purposely planned out) from her. We feel this is one of the ways she could wrap us in her love.
Mom loved working in the yard. Maybe this was a little dirt therapy, but she always felt closer to God while she was caring for and beautifying His world.
She also loved experiencing the beauties this world had to offer. Our family could often be found camping in Island Park or traveling across the country to feel the love from our grandma, Mabel Adams. She had a special relationship with her bonus mom.
Another treasured mother in her life was her grandmother, Ida Christensen. As Mom was her oldest grandchild, she would often be “rescued” by her grandmother to have quiet one-on-one time. While at Grandma’s house playing, Mom grew especially fond of her great grandmother, Amanda’s, doll. This doll later became Moms. The memories are so cherished, she requested her doll accompany her to heaven.
