Ralph Clayton Sonderegger

Ralph Clayton Sonderegger, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great grandfather, returned to his Heavenly Parents on Sunday, May 20, 2018. He left this life peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving wife and family. What a life he lived! Clayton was born February 1, 1925, in Midway, Utah, to Grace Watkins and Ernest Ervin Sonderegger. He had nine brothers and sisters. At the age of eight, Clayton took on a man’s job to help his mother when his father passed away during the Great Depression. Because of this early loss, he was always very concerned for those who had lost their husbands and fathers. Clayton was the second young man in the Midway 2nd Ward to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. He was very proud that 23 of his descendants also became Eagle Scouts. Clayton played on the first All-Star State football team in Utah during his senior year in high school.  He joined the army after high school and served valiantly as a forward observer in Patton’s 3rd Army during the Battle of the Bulge and the final push into Germany during World War II. He came home to the loss of his brother and best friend, Evan, who had been killed in a hunting accident. Clayton played football in the 1947 Raisin Bowl for the championship Utah State University Aggies team. While at Utah State, he met an angel named Reta Sorensen, whom he married on April 2, 1948, in the Idaho Falls Temple. Together, they raised nine children. They survived toddlers, teenagers, job losses, life-threatening automobile accidents, the loss of their home and farm in the Teton Dam flood, and health challenges. They always moved forward with faith and hope. Clayton was a farmer, an inventor, a builder, a welder, and an engineer, but his favorite career was that of teaching welding at Ricks College. He forever influenced many of his students through his teachings, his testimony, and his example of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Clayton was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as a counselor in the Stake Mission Presidency and a counselor in the Bishopric while living in Los Gatos, California. He and Reta served three church missions after his retirement, one in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, one in the Family History Center in Rigby, Idaho, and another in Memphis, Missouri. They also served together as ward missionaries. Five children and twenty-nine grandchildren have also served missions. Clayton and Reta served together as temple ordinance workers in the Idaho Falls temple for many years. He was never weary in well-doing and has an incredibly strong and tenacious spirit. On April 2, 2018, Clayton and Reta celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary. Although his health was failing, this was a goal he had set and they spent the evening enjoying their children and grandchildren, the company of wonderful friends and neighbors, and a lifetime of beautiful memories together. Clayton loved his family! He squeezed that love into bear hugs and snuck it into stories. He sang it to Reta in the mornings, and planted it in his gardens. He grilled it into vinegar chicken and packed it into fishing trips and buggy rides. He shared it in his testimony and tucked it into our hearts. We are so grateful for his example, his love, and his testimony, and we look forward to seeing him again. Clayton is survived by his wife, Reta; his daughters, Faun (Eph) McMurtrey, Carol (Tim) Morrison, Kathy (Ed) Clapie, Renee (Bruce) Benson, Joyce (Bryan) Smith, and Charlene Barker; his sons Ralph (Kim) Sonderegger, Kelly (Lora) Sonderegger, and Scott (Lisa) Sonderegger; his 45 grandchildren, 100 great-grandchildren, 4 great-great grandchildren, and his sister, Colleen Jones. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 26, 2018, at the LaBelle 2nd Ward Chapel, 4223 E. 528 N., Rigby, ID. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Eckersell Funeral Home in Rigby and again from 9:30 to 10:30 am at the church, prior to services. Interment will be at the Pratt Cemetery, in Alta Wyoming, with Military Rites. We’re so grateful to Amy, Alison, Josh, and all of those at Encompass Healthcare for the kind and compassionate care they gave Clayton.