January 12, 1950 — August 11, 2024
Christine Vanessa Bybee passed away in Lehi, Utah, on August 11, 2024, due to complications from cancer. She was 74.
Chris was born in Rangely, Colo., on January 12, 1950. Her parents are Monell Van Fradenburg of Manassa, Colo., a WWII veteran in the oil industry; and Jeane Berthelson of Alamosa, Colo., an artist, musician, and homemaker. Her father remained in the Army reserve and was recalled to active duty in Korea. He was killed in action at Heartbreak Ridge in 1951.
Her mother remarried in 1953, and Chris lived her childhood in Alabama, the Panama Canal Zone, and Oklahoma. From the many years of visits to her grandparents in the San Luis Valley, Chris always considered Alamosa to be her home.
She was the granddaughter of Cleone Berthelson and Dr. J. G. Berthelson, a pioneering veterinarian in the valley. She grew up loving animals, and had her first horse at age 2. Over a lifetime of horsemanship she excelled in arena competitions and was an accomplished rodeo photographer.
Chris was proficient on the piano, flute, and piccolo. She graduated from Alamosa High School in 1968, and attended Brigham Young University. She was a regular at the western dances there.
Chris married Joe Bybee and they raised their three sons in Spanish Fork, Utah. They bred and trained registered Quarter Horses, and owned and operated a custom log furniture business and dog grooming service. They were a western family with a country way of life on the outskirts of town. Joe and Chris had a close and personal relationship with the Savior.
Chris was known for her common sense. She always had a simple answer for a problem to be solved, a situation to be helped, a need to be filled. And Mexican food was the solution to just about anything.
They retired to a mountain setting in Birdseye, Utah, just up the road from Fairview and Manti where her Berthelson and Christensen forebears once lived. Joe passed away unexpectedly in 2012. Chris moved to Lehi, Utah, and worked in telecommunications, retiring in 2024 after eleven years with DirecTV and Comcast Corporation.
Living in her memory are their sons and grandchildren (all in Utah): Aren (Jenny) Bybee with children Kellen, Carson, and Taylor of Elk Ridge; Bron (Leona) Bybee with children Stetson and Lily of Saratoga Springs; and Cale (Nikki) Bybee with children Melia, Jax, and Alex, of Draper. Chris is also survived by her brother, Eric (Judi) Smith.
A small graveside service will convene at the city cemetery in Annabella, Utah, on August 24, 2024.
The Bybee families give their abundant gratitude to the Suncrest Hospice caregivers in Lehi and the staff at Covington Senior Living.
