Arthur Christy

1926 - 2013
Arthur E. Christy, age 86, left this life to be reunited with his beloved wife on February 7, 2013, in Rigby, Idaho. Art was born on February 9, 1926 to Mary Josephine Bell and William Eleck Christy. He spent his childhood and youth in Osage County, Oklahoma, graduating from Burbank High School. In 1944, at the age of 18, Art enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was promoted to drill sergeant and later trained as a belly gunner in a B-17. In 1946, he was honorably discharged from the military and struck out for Big Piney, Wyoming to work on his uncle's cattle ranch. The next year, Art was hired on to manage a neighboring ranch and spent the next five years working as a cowboy and courting the rancher's beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Arden Spence. Art and Arden were married on February 21, 1952 and were later sealed in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. Together they had three children: Bill, Cathy, and Kim. They reared their family in the "Avenues" of Salt Lake City, Utah and Art was employed by Lang Company, Eaton Metal, Jelco, and Utility Equipment Specialists (UES) as a well-respected machinist and welder. Art loved gardening and was well-known in the neighborhood for his luscious produce-especially his tomatoes. A member of the LDS church, Art was a quiet, dependable presence in the Salt Lake Ensign 2nd, 4th, and 1st Wards. After the death of his wife in 2010, he moved in with his children; eventually he took up residence at The Gardens of Rigby, where he passed away. The family wishes to thank the staff at The Gardens for their genuine kindness and care.
Art was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Susie, Doris, and Dorothy; wife, Arden; son, William C. (Bill) Christy (Mary Jane Stratton); grandson, Matthew William Christy; and best friend, Jack Seegmiller. He is survived by two children, Cathleen Christy Thomas (Terry), and Kim S. Christy (Pam); 14 of his 15 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren (with more on the way); his sisters Fern and Joan, and several well-loved nieces and nephews.
A viewing will take place at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple, SLC, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2013. Funeral services will be held at the mortuary at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 11, 2013, with a viewing beginning at 9 a.m. Interment: Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 E. 10600 S., Sandy, Utah.