Thelma Ingersoll

Thelma Robison Ingersoll peacefully returned to her Heavenly Father on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at her daughter's home in Millcreek, Utah. She was born January 31, 1927, to John Albert Robison, Jr, and Rachel Permilla Lindsay Robison in Byron, Wyoming at 6:00 in the morning at her Aunt Clarissa Willey's home. Her mother said she was a very cute little baby with coal black hair and a very red face. Her hair was so long that her Aunt Clarissa cut it when she was 3 weeks old. She was the youngest of 7 children.

Her family moved to Portage, Montana when she was a year old and lived there until she was 3 years old. Her family then moved to Vaughn, Montana where her family farmed. Thelma loved the farm because she loved the animals.

There were lots of rattlesnakes on this farm when they moved there. One day her brothers, Glen, Vern, and her dad were working on the plow. She came down the hill where they were working and she told them that there was a snake where she was playing. They didn't think she knew what a snake looked like so they told her to take the shovel and kill it and bring it back to them. So that is what she did. They just about passed out when she brought the snake back to them. She was only 5 years old at the time. After that they didn't tell her to do something unthinkable because she always followed their instructions.

Thelma learned to milk cows and drive a team of horses. During World War II they couldn't get any help, so she learned to drive the team of horses, cut hay, rack, and stack hay. She herded cows and helped with all the farm work. She helped her mother in the garden. She learned to work hard.

She started school in Sun River, Montana. She liked school but was always getting into some kind of fights with the boys. She must have been a tom-boy for her mother said she got into more fights than her brothers did.

She graduated from high school in Simms Montana and then went to Dillon, Montana to college. She taught school the following year. In May of 1947 she started work at the telephone company as a long-distance operator. She was the first left-handed operator ever hired in Great Falls, Montana. Her sister Lavon also worked for the phone company but in a different department. She worked for the phone company for 16 months.

A friend from the phone company introduced Thelma to her future husband, Don Ingersoll. They were married March 26, 1949, in Vaughn, Montana and later sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple, April 9, 1957. After they were married, they moved to Helena, Montana where Jeffrey Kent Ingersoll was born. They moved to Salt Lake City so Don could go to a railroad school at night and then he worked for the Veterans Administration in supply while going to school. They moved back to Montana and lived with Thelma's parents until Toni Lynn was born as the railroad job didn't work out. Don started his employment with General Mills until April 1957.

They moved to Salt Lake in 1957 and Don started working for the Post office. They lived in Salt Lake City in the Rose Park Area until 1965 until they moved back to Helena, Montana where Don transferred with the postal service and Thelma started working at the Veterans Administration in Fort Harrison. They retired in 1984 and were called to serve in the Singapore Mission from October 1984 to May 1986. They served in Malaysia and India and Thelma was really excited when a Temple was announced in India. They weren't allowed to proselyte; they could only teach if they were invited into the homes of members, and they had investigators. It was a hard mission for them but they had lots of good memories that Thelma always talked about.

They came home and lived in a 5th wheel for about 8 years and did a some traveling and then parked at the Temple View Trailer Park in St. George. They stayed there and served a mission at the visitor center and when they were through with the mission they worked at the Trailer Park. Thelma worked in the office and Don helped park the trailers. They loved working in the trailer park getting to know the people.

In 1998 they moved to Salt Lake with their daughter Toni in Taylorsville. She wasn't married at the time and that was always the plan that they would come live with her when they got old. During their time in Taylorsville, they served another mission and opened an employment office in the Kearns area.

In 2000, Toni got married so Don and Thelma lived in Toni's house. Don got sick the following year and passed away in 2001. Thelma lived in Toni's house until 2005. Toni's husband, Ken, decided Thelma needed to move in with them.

Thelma had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and a fun sense of humor. She was a blessing to have in their home. She drove her car until she turned 93 and was very independent. When covid hit, that kind of took its toll on her. But she was always very pleasant and happy.

Thank you for the loving care she received from Tender Care Hospice, her nurses, Ari and Sara. They were so sweet and kind with her.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Don Ingersoll, her parents, her siblings, Bea (Arden) Payne, Glen (Virginia) Robison, Vern (Dot) Robison) Cleon Robison, Lilburn Robison, (Bob) Montelius, Grandson, Ryan Rasmussen. She is survived by her sister, Lavon Montelius (101), her son Jeff Ingersoll, her daughter Toni (Ken) Rasmussen, 9 grandkids, 17 great-grandkids,10 great great-great-grandkids.

Funeral Services will be held Thursday, April 25, 2024, 11:00 a.m. at the Hillview Ward, 1361 East 4000 South, Millcreek, Utah. Viewing at 10:00 am.

Interment will be Friday, April 26, 2024, 2:00 p.m. in Sun River Cemetery, Sun River, Montana. The dedication of the grave will be done by Ken Rasmussen, son-in-law.

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