Marlene Graham Matheson
Marlene Graham Matheson, 86, of Alpine, Utah, passed away on Sunday, November 21, 2021 of natural causes.
Marlene was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 25, 1935, to LeVirda Kristina Christiansen and Percy Glen Graham. She was the youngest of seven children.
She attended South High School, graduating in 1953. While in high school, she met her husband, Kenneth Howard Matheson, Jr. They were married on September 11, 1953, in the Salt Lake Temple. Shortly thereafter, Howard reported for military service at Fort Ord, in California. Marlene followed, and for the next few years became an army wife, living in California, Texas, and Germany.
Over the next 68 years, Marlene and Howard were blessed with 8 children, 36 grandchildren and 65 great grandchildren.
Marlene was an accomplished businesswoman. She worked for several years as a top Tupperware Manager, winning two cars for her family during her tenure with the company. Later in life she became the creative force behind Kencraft, Inc., the wholesale candy and keepsake company she and Howard founded in 1969, and Alpenhaus and Peppermint Place, two affiliated retail companies which were favorites of ice cream and candy lovers in Alpine, Provo, and American Fork for many years.
After retiring and selling their business, Marlene and Howard served a CES mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington, D.C, where they became surrogate parents for many of the college students living in the area, welcoming them into their home for Sunday dinners and family home evenings.
Marlene was a fighter, surviving breast cancer twice during her lifetime.
She was generous with her time, energy, and creativity as she shared her love of scrapbooking and card making hobbies, and served in various callings in her church.
She is survived by her husband, Kenneth Howard Matheson, Jr., daughters Terrie Abbott, Cindy (Marvin) Pack, Patti (Will) Jones, Sandy (Michael) Barrus, Julie (Stan) Howell, and sons Mark (Kim), Michael (Shannon), and Bryan (Melinda) Matheson.
The family would like to thank the staff of River Meadows Assisted Living Center and Valeo Home Health and Hospice for their care of Marlene during the last few months of her life.
A viewing will be held on Monday evening, November 29, 2021 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Warenski Funeral Home, 1776 North 900 East, American Fork, Utah and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 30th at the Alpine Utah North Stake Center, 1125 East Alpine Boulevard, Alpine, Utah, immediately followed by the funeral at 11 am. Interment will be in the Alpine City Cemetery. Masks are encouraged as social distancing may be difficult.
For those wishing to attend the services virtually, please use the following link: https://zoom.us/j/95115251270