Christiana Amy Louise Coleby
1922 – 2021 / In fond memories
Salt Lake City, UT — Christiana Amy Louise Coleby was born on February 23, 1922 in the village of Glemsford, Suffolk, England, to Alfred and Mary Ann Adams. She completed her trip on September 24, 2021. As a devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she was deeply loved by the family she was so proud of.
Chris was the second of five siblings and enjoyed a happy childhood in the beautiful Suffolk countryside. When World War II broke out, Chris served for four years as a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in Lowestoft, England, at the local naval base. Their stories of bombings and war casualties were indeed humiliating.
In 1946, Chris was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Your commitment to the Church has never diminished. Shortly after her baptism, the petite and pretty Christiana met the handsome, returned soldier Ronald Coleby. Ron offered her a ride on a Sunday school trip on his motorcycle and the rest, they say, is history. They married on October 19, 1947. Two daughters, Linda and Marjorie, were born to them over the next four years. In October 1952 the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, where other friends from England had settled.
As a loyal Church member, Chris served for many years as Relief Society president, elementary and Sunday school teacher, and visiting teacher in Salt Lake City and Lowestoft when the family returned there from 1963 to 1968. Chris and her beloved Ron served in the for 19 months England Leeds Mission. The two things she loved most were her family and her beliefs. Although they held several positions, they always took a back seat to family and church.
After years of rationing during the war, she hated seeing it all go to waste and won ribbons at the Utah State Fair for the jelly she made from the grapes in her garden and for her canning skills. She loved gardening, sewing, took Ron on camping and fishing trips, and held many family get-togethers with him. She loved visiting Utah national parks, and she and Ron took many visitors from England to see their natural beauty. Christmas Day at Grandma’s was a cherished tradition that lasted for almost 50 years. Even after Ron’s death in 2012, Grandma held the Christmas party at her home.
Chris was preceded in death by her parents, sister Joan, and brother Arthur. She leaves behind her sisters Janet and Mary, their daughters Linda Coleby and Marjorie Jensen (Jerrold), their eight grandchildren, thirteen soon fourteen great-grandchildren and many beloved nieces and nephews.
The family would like to express their sincere thanks to everyone who helped and cared for Chris in the neighborhood and the Legacy Village of Sugarhouse. She often said she had angels to take care of her.
A service will be held on Monday, October 18, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Stratford East Ward Chapel, 1500 E. Stratford Avenue, Salt Lake City, UT 84106. Face masks are recommended. Friends can call the same location from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. that day. The funeral will take place at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84106.
Chris asked for donations to the Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Published by The Salt Lake Tribune October 1-11, 2021.
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