Wendy Evans Ruppel

On February 24, 2026, Wendy Melissa Evans Ruppel, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, slipped quietly and peacefully from this life after an extended battle with several health issues.

Wendy was born June 24, 1938, in Butte, Montana. The second daughter of Oakley S. and Mabel (Mimi) Wilson Evans, Wendy's family continued to expand with the addition of her three younger sisters. Wendy loved her family. The Evans family moved frequently in the course of Oakley’s career, and Wendy told her children that moving wasn’t too hard because “she always took her best friends with her” wherever they went.

Wendy graduated from Darien High School in Connecticut in 1956 and then attended the University of Utah, where she met John Ruppel. They were married on February 21, 1959. Wendy and John lived in many different places, from Kansas to California, and forged a strong bond and a strong family. Together, John and Wendy were the parents of six children: Holly, Melissa, JR, Rick, Mark, and Chris. Eventually, the family settled in Utah. Everywhere they lived, Wendy welcomed any and all who would be her friends.

Wendy loved learning, both academic subjects and studies that built her faith. She loved teaching the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to both the youth and adults in her congregations. As her children got older, she was delighted to increase her involvement in her community. Here again, her amazing friends opened the world to her. She loved volunteering to serve refugees. During the 1980’s, she worked on the Salt Lake County Refugee Coordinating Council for almost a decade. She also adored working with young people. She was even named volunteer of the year for her work as vice chairperson of the Salt Lake Commission on Youth, where among many objectives she worked to create legislation to protect at-risk youth.

Eventually her volunteer work with the youth led Wendy into rehab counselling. She worked as a counselor at DaySpring and later helped found Lifeline. One of the things she was most gifted at was helping kids improve their lives. She had a unique capacity to unconditionally love those she spent time with, while encouraging them to find ways to reach their fullest potential.

To support her efforts in service to youth, she returned to school at Westminster and obtained a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and followed that with a Master's degree in counselling.

After her retirement, Wendy pursued her love of Family History and Genealogy. She loved finding ancestors and was thrilled to link her family from generation to generation.

Wendy’s greatest love was always family. She is the proud mother of six, an adoring grandmother of ten, and a delighted great-grandmother of twenty. She rejoiced to see her loved ones gathered and thriving.

Every decision in life was guided by Wendy’s deep faith in Jesus Christ and a love for her fellow man. In 2001, Wendy and John were thrilled to serve as missionaries at the Provo Utah Missionary Training Center. They both loved bearing testimony and helping missionaries prepare for their proselyting service. The favorite part of their missionary service was the commute to and from Provo. Wendy always rejoiced in time with John. She frequently remarked how much it thrilled her that they never ran out of things to talk about.

Wendy always tried to choose the right and invited others to join her in that journey. Wendy’s life was equal parts remarkable and ordinary. In the last few years of her life, amid many health challenges, she completed her life the way she did everything, with courage, grace, faith, humor, and an abundance of love.

Wendy was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, John, her daughter Melissa, her son Chris, and granddaughter, Nicole Baker. She is survived by Holly and Brad Baker, JR and Stefanie Ruppel, Rick and Lynette Ruppel, Mark and Danielle Ruppel, Christi Ruppel, nine grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren. She leaves a large hole in all our lives.

In lieu of flowers, the Ruppel family would like to encourage donations to the American Diabetes Association.

https://diabetes.org/research/research-foundation-mission-and-vision?form=Research

Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 13, 2026 Millstream Chapel, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 3510 South 3610 East, Salt Lake City, Utah

Visiting with the family will be from 10:00 am to 10:45 am Remembrance Service will follow at 11:00 am

Interment at Wasatch Lawns, 3401 S Highland Dr, Millcreek, Utah