Carol Ra Nae Fletcher

On Sunday, November 6, 2022, Ra Nae Fletcher returned home to the loving arms of her Father in Heaven. Born Carol Ra Nae Wardell on May 24, 1945, in Wanship, Utah, the only daughter and youngest child of Smith and Ruth Wardell, adored young sister of Joe, Butch and Wed, all having passed on before. They and her beloved husband Robert, son Thomas and daughter Tina have been waiting on the other side in anticipation of a joyous family reunion. Ra Nae spent the early part of her childhood on the family farm in Rockport, Utah. Due to the construction of Rockport Reservoir her family relocated to Salt Lake City when she was 8 years old. Ra Nae attended Olympus High School in Salt Lake City, loved the Arts and was an accomplished dancer of many forms as well as a drawing artist. In 1961 Ra Nae married John Thomas Thorpe. Although that marriage didn’t last it produced two beautiful children, daughter Jo Leen and son Thomas. In 1971 Ra Nae met her Life Love, Robert Francis Fletcher, and the two soon became inseparable until Robert’s passing in 2019. Robert brought with him three daughters, Tammy, Tina and Terri, who Ra Nae loved, mothered and nurtured as her very own. Robert and Ra Nae married on Feb 13, 1976, though the exact year is uncertain. More on this later. Ra Nae was a consummate professional in her chosen career, working many years as a Production Manager at both National Semiconductor making computer chips and Merit Medical Systems making cardiology-related medical devices. Ra Nae was a loving daughter as well. In 1995, when Ra Nae’s mother Ruth was no longer capable of living unassisted, she and Robert bought a new house with a ready-built mother-in-law apartment, moved their mother in and cared for her until her passing in 1999. Ra Nae was a free spirit who was not afraid to buck convention if she felt the need to do so. She loved fast cars and loved to drive them. It is remembered how she once took a group of co-workers on a lunch time excursion in her new van and got a bit “assertive” in her driving style, and then had to remind her breathless co-workers, that yes, they were “Still alive!” and in one piece. When Ra Nae and Robert decided to get married, they simply eloped and did it, amazing their uninvited children who speak of this act with wide-eyes and in hushed tones to this very day. The Nerve! No one is sure of the year! Growing up on a farm, it may be surprising that Ra Nae did not like to drink milk or eat eggs, but she did have a sweet tooth, specializing in COOKIES. It is said that she never met a cookie that she didn’t like. Ra Nae is a loving wife, mother, daughter, aunt and a choice spirit who is survived by daughters Jo Leen (Dale) Slack, Tammy Clemens, Terri (Jim) Nieder, 10 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by parents and siblings, husband Robert, son Thomas and daughter Tina. We love you Ra Nae, looking forward to that great day, “Until We Meet Again.”

Carol Ra Nae Fletcher

May 24, 1945 - November 6, 2022