Christine Jorgensen

RIVER HEIGHTS, UTAH: Frances Christine Fields Jorgensen, 101, passed away on March 14, 2012 in the Gore Nursing Center in Gore, Oklahoma.
Christine was born at Marble City, Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, on 21 October 1910 at the home of her maternal grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. Samuel F. Moore. She was the second child of George W. Fields, Jr. and Bettie Belle Moore Fields, who lived south of Marble City in the Dwight Mission Community.
Her mother, Bettie Moore Fields, passed away when Christine was four years old. At this time Christine and her siblings: Elvina Louise, age 5; Robert Owen, age 2; and Franklin Moore Fields, 7 months; moved into the home of her paternal grandparents, George W., Sr., and Martha Jane Sanders Fields. The children grew up in this home with their Aunt May Fields Connelley,
Uncles James and Charlie Fields, and loving grandparents.
Christine attended the Fields Chapel Public School from grades 1-8, the Dwight Mission High School through grade 11, and graduated from the 12th grade at the Sallisaw High School, Sallisaw, Oklahoma.
She attended college for four years at the Presbyterian Church College, "The Asheville Normal and Teachers College," (now the Warren Wilson College) in Asheville, North Carolina where she earned her Bachelor's Degree.
After college she began her teaching career in the Brunswick County, North Caroliliia Public Schools. Later she taught for the U.S. Government Navajo Service in New Mexico and Arizona where she met her husband, Samuel E. Jorgensen. They were married on 19 June 1942 in Flagstaff, Arizona. Samuel was a 1937 graduate of Utah State University and was employed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
After World War II, they were assigned to New Mexico, Region 3, of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In 1948 they were transferred to Region 2, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they lived for 12 years.
While in Minneapolis, Christine taught in the Minneapolis City Schools. It was during their stay in Minneapolis that Christine became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. After Minneapolis, Samuel was transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Central Office in Washington, D.C.
Christine enjoyed living in the Virginia area from where Sam commuted to work at the U.S. Interior Building and Christine taught at the Wakefield Forest School in Virginia. In 1966 they returned to Minneapolis where Samuel was Asst. Regional Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Region 2 until his retirement in 1972.

Besides her teaching, Christine's main hobby was family history. She compiled a book on her immediate and both paternal and maternal families. She was also an excellent seamstress, cook, and homemaker. She loved to travel and accompanied Samuel to many countries of Africa, South America, to Europe many times, Mexico, Jordan, Turkey, the Holy Land and throughout the United States. Christine is retired from the Minneapolis City Schools and is a member of the Minneapolis Retired Teachers Association.
After Samuel's retirement from the Fish & Wildlife Service, he was invited to the IUCN Headquarters in Morges, Switzerland to work on Endangered Species. Here Christine and Samuel were members of the Epilonges Ward of the LDS Church of Lausanne, Switzerland where they made many friends among the Swiss and German members.
When they returned to the U.S. , they bought a home in River Heights, Utah and were active in the River Heights 2nd and 3rd Wards. After Samuel passed away on 30th of January 2000, Christine moved to the Williamsburg Retirement Community where she resided until July 2010.
Christine then relocated to Emeritus at Willow Brook Retirement Community in Fort Smith, Arkansas to be near family.
After being hospitalized with pneumonia in January of this year, Christine relocated to Gore Nursing Center in Gore, Oklahoma for skilled nursing care.
She was preceded in death by her Mother, Bettie Belle Moore Fields; grandparents, George and Mattie Sanders Fields and Samuel and Sallie Clapp Moore; aunt, May Relds Connelley, uncles, Jim and Charlie Fields; sister, Elvina Fields Marrs; brothers, Robert Owen Fields and Franklin Moore Fields and their spouses; father, George W. Fields; stepmother, Vadie Meniott Fields; and half-sisters Lillian Fields Cowart, Lucille Fields Ritter, and half brother George W. Fields, Jr.
Christine is survived by five loving nieces and nephews; Mary Katherine (Charles) Sloan, Vlan,
Oklahoma; Linda Ruth (Donald) Pruitt, Lewisville, Texas; Larry (Arlinda) Fields, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Betty Van Markhoven, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Raymond Fields, Lompoc, California; cousin, Neal (Rhonda) Connelley, Jefferson City, Missouri; half-brothers William Fields, Vian, Oklahoma; and Herbert Fields,Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, March 20th at 7:00 pm at the Allen-Hall Mortuary,34 East Center St. conducted by Bishop Bruce OVery of the River Heights 3rd Ward. There will be a vewing will be from 6-6:45 pm at the mortuary.
Interment will be in the Logan City Cemetery on Wednesday at 11:00 am. Condolences and memories may be expressed to the family online at www.allenmortuaries.net