Denna Lee Fluckiger

Denna Lee Parsons Fluckiger was born March 19, 1931 to Leona Jane and Thomas Parsons in
Smoot, Wy. She was born prematurely and was so small she fit in a shoe box. But, her difficult start
didn't hamper the bright spirit she brought into the world.
Denna grew up on her family farm, helping where needed. Her father was injured in a logging
accident a few months before her birth and had a hard time providing for the family. Denna's mother
worked at any job she could find during the Depression. She worked as a cook, a dishwasher, and a
nurse, to name a few. In spite of these efforts, the children of the family knew what it meant to go to
bed hungry.
Still, Denna remembered a happy childhood. She often spoke of playing with cousins and
neighbors, exploring the surrounding hills, and horseback riding. She loved to run, so playing ball and
kick-the-can were some of her favorite activities. She and her younger sister, Renee, could find fun,
and sometimes, mischief, wherever they went.
She attended Star Valley High School where she met Jack Fluckiger, Johnnie, to his friends.
They started dating in their junior year. After graduation in 1949, they were married in the Logan
Temple, March 15, 1950. Jack commented later in life that one of the main reasons he fell in love with
Denna was because she knew how to laugh.
The couple returned to Jack's family farm in Turnerville. Jack and his father built a small, two-
bedroom house in the calf pasture next to the road. This became the home that Jack and Denna raised
their five children in.
Denna enjoyed being a farmer's wife, she loved the animals, sometimes too much, and gloried
in the beauty of the little nook between mountains that was now her home. This was the backdrop that
inspired her to create a beautiful yard from the rocky calf pasture.
Denna believed in God from a very young age. She served in the Bedford Ward of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints all of her adult life until infirmities made serving impossible. Her
favorite callings were working with the children. She served in Primary for almost sixty years, with
breaks to serve as Relief Society President and working with the young women.
After her children were raised, Denna discovered she had artistic talent and her paintings are
treasured by friends and family. She also had a great capacity to love. Many families in the
Bedford/Turnerville area have benefited from her ability to make adults and children alike feel
accepted and loved.
Her beloved husband passed away January 3, 2003. Denna missed her Johnnie every day of the
22 years she lived without him.
After Jack was gone, Denna continued loving any child she came across, working in her garden,
painting pictures, and helping neighbors.
She lived in that little house for 75 years and passed away there on March 11, 2025.
She is survived by her children, John Chris Fluckiger (Lynda), Vicky Lee (Scott Crager) and Lori Ann
(Gearld Robison). Mary Jane and Thomas William proceeded her in death. She is also survived by her
sisters: Ione Helm and Renee Dallin. She has 11 grand children still living, three proceeding her in
death; and 27 great-grandchildren.
A viewing will be held at the Schwab Mortuary in Thayne, Wyoming Thursday, March 20 from
6pm to 8pm. There will also be a viewing on March 21, 2025 at the Bedford Church from 10am to
11:45am, services at 12pm. Interment in the Bedford Cemetery at 1:pm