Wanda Irene Bertelsen Ostler

With tender hearts we grieve the passing of Wanda Irene Ostler, our beloved, bride, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and dear friend. She passed away on Thursday, September 30th during surgery to repair her heart.

This kind, compassionate, and generous woman was born in Ferron, Utah on 2 August 1940 to Norma and Cecil S. Bertelsen. Her crowning achievement in life began 62 years ago when she married her lifelong companion William B. Ostler and together they built a family that currently totals 68, all of whom are grieving her sudden call home. Her legacy of love will last for generations.

Wanda’s family moved to Spanish Fork, Utah when she was seven and her father passed away when she was only 10 years old.  Her mother pushed on to finish raising her, along with her two siblings still at home.  Wanda developed lifelong friends among her fellow cheerleaders at Spanish Fork High School.  Billy Ostler noticed her cheering at a game and then actually met her the night of her seminary graduation. She graduated from Spanish Fork High School in 1958.  She and Bill married about a year and a half later and she loved telling the story of Bill selling his boat to buy her wedding ring.

Wanda enrolled in beauty school in Salt Lake City.  Upon completion she began to work as a beautician, and she “put Bill through” his schooling at Utah State and she earned half of the down payment to buy their first home.  They still live in that home and have also enjoyed being snowbirds in Arizona.

Wanda is the mother of five children; and they were her world.  She is a loving and caring mother who dedicated her life to them as she selflessly sacrificed year after year to help them succeed in life and be happy.  She was a very hard worker her whole life.  In addition to her many labors as “Mom,” she took on full-time employment to make birthdays and Christmas magical for them and to help fund the many expensive activities in which she and Bill encouraged the kids to participate.  She worked an additional decade as a sales representative at Salt Lake Hardware as well as several other jobs through the years.

Wanda sacrificed a great deal for one particular event in life that will have the most far-reaching impact on all of us.  After 20 years of marriage, she and Bill decided to prepare themselves to solemnize their marriage in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In May of 1980, we all participated in the sealing ordinance of our family, and it changed the temporal and eternal trajectory of our lives.

Wanda’s lifelong labor of love became perpetual as the titles of “Grandmother” and “Great-Grandmother” became hers.  She labored from a place deep within her heart to love and lift and create magical moments for each of her 21 grandchildren and then her 20 great-grandchildren.

One example of this was her desire to capture and preserve memories and milestones of all her family. This fueled a passion to take up scrapbooking.  Her skill level in this increased and she began creating handmade, personalized, birthday cards (often containing themes or art unique to that family member) for her ever growing posterity.  She even designed her own signature logo that would go on the back of many of the cards that read, “HOMEMADE WITH LOVE by Mom O.” The last several years she has worked especially hard (despite increasing health challenges) to finish carefully organizing all of her scrapbooking supplies and all materials in her possession that document her life and the lives of each family member.  Four days before her surgery/passing she told her daughter, “After I get through that little pile there, I will be done.”

Perhaps the most well-known thing about Wanda is her smile while she lived her life.  She loved seeing the humor in life and her smile is “good medicine for what ails you.”  She loved making grandkids smile and laugh.  Additionally, Wanda was a prolific reader, loved playing games, camping, and travelling with Bill.  They travelled together to Alaska (via truck and RV) on two separate occasions and later drove 7000 miles across the country to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary.   Finally, her cheerleading skills were relevant her whole life as she cheered for BYU football, the Utah Jazz, and family members at many games in all kinds of sports.

Wanda is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She has a deep love for, and belief in, Jesus Christ. This was most evidenced by her loyalty to His central doctrine of marriage and family and the way she loved and selflessly served others.  She has always been a champion of those in need of compassionate love which she naturally modeled for her children and grandchildren.

Wanda is survived by her husband Bill, her children – William Jeff Ostler (Sybil), Wendy Lee Artz (Marcial), Kevin Scott Ostler (Staci), James Brian Ostler (Jennifer), Jana Lynn Marion, 41 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Don Marion. Wanda was preceded in death by her father- Cecil S. Bertelsen, her mother- Norma I. Andreasen Bertelsen, and by her siblings: Gloria Boltis, Cecil Roland Bertelsen, Connie Whitney, and Kent Bertelsen.

A funeral service will be held at 11 am on Saturday, October 9th at the Orchard 2nd Ward Building located at: 3707 South 800 West, Bountiful Utah.  A visitation/viewing will take place at 9:30 am at the same location.  Graveside dedicatory prayer and interment at the Spanish Fork cemetery located at: 420 South 400 East Spanish Fork, Utah.

The funeral service will be streamed live on the Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and on this obituary page.