Elvalyne (“Lynn”) Van Rensburg, 82, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on Wednesday, May 27.

 

She is survived by her son, Drew Richardson Johnson (Joanna Wrigley); her daughter, Lara Palmer Limb (Trent); nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; her sister, Sally Hanchett; and her brother, Bill Palmer. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Kim Johnson.

 

Lynn was born on October 5, 1944, in Farmington, New Mexico, the eighth of nine children born to Paul and Elva Palmer. The family later moved to Albuquerque, where she spent her teenage years and graduated from Highland High School in 1962.  Later that year, Lynn was crowned Miss New Mexico.

 

She attended Brigham Young University, where she earned a degree in Education and where she met the love of her life, Kim Johnson. They were married and sealed in the Oakland Temple in 1965. Together they lived in California, Virginia, and Hawaii.  Kim served as a First Lieutenant in the Bravo Company in the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He was killed in action in February 1968.

 

After Kim died, she married Glen Richardson, with whom she had a son, Drew, and later married Don Thompson, with whom she had her daughter, Lara.

 

Much of Lynn’s adult life was spent as a single mother. During those years, she worked as a dedicated elementary school teacher in Utah and Arizona and earned her Masters degree. To provide for her family, she supplemented her teaching income by working as both a model and a waitress. Through every challenge, she demonstrated determination, resilience, and an unwavering work ethic that became an enduring example to her children and grandchildren.

 

Lynn loved being outdoors and in the sun. She spent countless hours waterskiing, working in her yard, and cheering from the sidelines at her children’s sporting events, where her voice could often be heard above the crowd. She was an avid sports enthusiast who faithfully kept statistics and occasionally attempted to correct the official scorekeepers when she believed they had missed something.

 

Her favorite teams were always those of her children and grandchildren, followed closely by her beloved BYU Cougars. She was a regular attendee at BYU football and basketball games and remained a loyal fan throughout her life.

 

Lynn loved to dance, possessed a remarkable zest for life, and maintained a deep testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though she experienced both the heartbreak of widowhood and the difficulties of divorce, the constant throughout her life was her faith. Regardless of her circumstances, she faithfully attended church each Sunday and found strength in her relationship with her Savior. Her children never doubted that Jesus Christ was the rock upon which she built her life.

 

Above all, Lynn loved her family. She leaves behind a legacy of faith, perseverance, hard work, and devotion that will continue through the generations that follow her.

 

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m., Family Viewing at 12:30pm, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3450 S. Lindsay Road, Chandler, Arizona. An internment will follow at 4:00 p.m. at Mesa Cemetery, 1212 North Center Street, Mesa, Arizona.

 

Please have Flowers sent to the church directly between 12pm and 1pm