Chall Worthen McRoberts

Chall Worthen McRoberts came bursting into this life on his family’s kitchen table on July 10, 1941, in Spanish Fork, Utah. He brought an abundance of love to his parents, Ruth Naomi Worthen and Francis Leonard Roberts. He passed peacefully on March 2, 2023, to join his wife, daughter, and parents on their next adventure.

Chall’s father died tragically when Chall was only fourteen, leaving a gaping hole in their family which he worked hard to fill and succeeded. He was in constant motion serving, doing and creating. He devoted much of his limited time outside work to either continuing to serve his family or finding others who needed his helping hand. It was easy to love Chall and his upbeat, giving nature.

A blind date brought Chall and Marilla together, but it was a lake, a storm, and a swamped boat that began their love affair. Even while he was on his mission in Bavaria, photographs of his apartment show a large 8X10 picture of Marilla hanging prominently on the wall. He proposed at Bridal Veil Falls on Valentine’s Day with a box of chocolates hiding the magic ring inside. She quickly became his priority, and one could not be mentioned without the other. They married on September 2, 1964 in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved Marilla fiercely as shown by the first words out of his mouth after a terrible accident: “Where’s your mom? Find your mom,” even though he was terribly injured himself. Not only did he let her use her favorite color blue on the walls and the floors of their home, as she declined in health, he made sure to buy her a blue car so he could drive her around town, and she could spend her final time on earth surrounded by her favorite color.

Both Marilla and Chall loved babies so much, they couldn’t stop at just two or four, but kept going until they had a solid nine to surround them with chaos and love. To see either hold a baby was to see the hand of God. Even back then having nine kids was a financial challenge if you didn’t live on a farm, so he created one in suburbia with fruit trees galore and enormous gardens full of beauty and nourishment.

His curiosity led to a life of learning, exploring and creating. His thirst for adventure took the family on yearly trips to instill the love of discovery in his children. For a good majority of his life, his hands held some type of tool as he found things to build or fix. From bikes to cars, and huge home additions, he figured it out and taught his children as well. He was a beautiful creator of homes, art, woodwork, gardens, and anything Marilla wanted.

He learned the value of work early by shoveling and delivering coal with his uncle Dean Warthen when he was only nine years old. He threw newspapers until he graduated from Spanish Fork High. He became a skilled hitchhiker to get wherever he needed to go including BYU and visits to see Marilla in Salt Lake City before they were married. After a quick jaunt to California where Chall earned his Phlebotomy degree, he worked at both St. Mark’s and the VA hospital at the same time for years as a vampire, drawing blood both day and night. He then became the manager of the labs. It appeared Utah would be their residence forever, but Utah couldn’t contain Chall. He moved into higher management and the family, along with his sweet mother, headed to Oregon where the only house large enough to hold them was one that had been separated into multiple apartments. That was just one more fun adventure for him to solve. As Chall moved up the in the government, the family moved to Tennessee, back to Utah, and then West Virginia as he became an executive at the National Archives.

Chall was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His love of missionary work abounded as he reached out to all people in need, forgetting himself and taking a deep dive into serving others. His favorite calling was as the Martinsburg West Virginia Stake Mission President. His hands and heart were an extension of the Savior as he used them to do good. He helped with missionaries extensively most of his later life. He also loved helping care for church camps in northern Utah. Marilla and Chall also served as missionaries in the Church History Center in Salt Lake City which they enjoyed together.

Chall was preceded in death by his daughter Tracie and his wife, Marilla Horne McRoberts. He is survived by his brother, Troy McRoberts (Julie). Continuing Chall and Marilla’s legacy are their children: Matt (Sarah), Chris (Kristy), Toye Edmondson (Peter), Cindy M. Hogan (William), Nicole Wood (Matthew), Walt (Melanie), Toni, and Kelly (Candice) and their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at the Oak Lane Ward Chapel, 2680 E. Cherry Lane, Layton, Utah.  Friends may visit with family Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church prior to the service.

Interment, Lindquist’s Memorial Park at Layton, 1867 No. Fairfield Rd., Layton, Utah.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionary fund or to Habitat for Humanity. The family would like to extend their sincerest gratitude to the various doctors, caretakers, friends, bishops and ward members, family members, and all of those who helped Chall over the course of his cancer, with a special recognition to Visiting Angels.

Services will be live-streamed and may be viewed at www.lindquistmortuary.com by scrolling to the bottom of Chall’s obituary page.

Services entrusted to Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Rd., Layton, Utah.

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