Charmayne Arleen Ware

Charmayne Arleen Ware returned to the arms of her loving Heavenly Father and beloved family members on December 24, 2024, after a valiant and courageous 25-day battle with a vile infection.

Charmayne was born on March 9, 1954, in Fort Morgan Colorado to Ruth Julia Lebsock Ware and Karl J. Ware. She was their second child with an older brother Wayne, a younger brother Duane, and a younger sister Lorraine. A few years later, Charmayne’s family moved to Worland Wyoming and shortly thereafter to Billings Montana. She attended Burlington Avenue Grade School, Will James Junior High, and graduated from Billings West High.  During her high school years, she attended early morning Seminary and received a scholarship which she used to attend Ricks College in Rexburg Idaho.

As a young child, Charmayne ran around with her arms wide open saying, “I luvs everybody!”  That love of family, friends, and others continued throughout her life. She loved her family dearly and was her siblings’ greatest fan. She was the first to tell others about their accomplishments whether in sports, music, educational or work activities, and was the first to defend them if hurt or wronged in any way. To her, family was much more than familia ties—family was a beautiful tapestry woven with golden threads of love and unbreakable support of one another, closely knit together with kindness and charity, interwoven with brilliant colors of fun, joy, laughter, strength, resilience, hard work, and happiness, and bound tightly together with eternal threads of unwavering faith, hope, and the knowledge that families are forever. Knowing her family was eternally sealed together forever gave her immense joy and peace.

Charmayne was a true friend to all who knew her. She loved children and had a great gift to easily calm fussy babies and laughed robustly as children threw their arms around her and gave her great big hugs. Charmayne loved everything BYU especially BYU football, basketball, and volleyball.  She loved to cook, loved to laugh, loved visiting with friends, loved music, especially Christmas music, had a great wit, and most importantly had a great love for her Heavenly Father and her Savior.  She was a faithful and devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Charmayne endured numerous physical challenges and difficult obstacles throughout her life, including an arduous bout with cancer, and faced all with great faith, firm determination, and without complaint. Her beautiful smile, loving personality, and great love of her Heavenly Father shone bright as she overcame every challenge fearlessly and valiantly.  She was charitable and loved to serve others. She prepared many meals and helped clean numerous homes for families in need, tended children on short notice, and was one of the first volunteers to travel to Idaho to clean homes muddied from the Teton Dam flooding.  No act of service was too hard, too demanding, or too messy to stop her from serving others.

Once, when facing a difficult challenge, Charmayne’s wise and beautiful mother, Ruth, gave her a note with the following words of wisdom: “Remember, we are too blessed to be stressed. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. In happy moments, praise God. In difficult moments, seek God. In quiet moments, worship God. In painful moments, trust God.” Charmayne kept that note with her always and with a trusting heart remained happy, cheerful, and positive.

Charmayne was and continues to be a bright shining star in the lives of her family and friends who have been richly blessed because of her choice spirit. Heaven truly became brighter with her entrance to her heavenly home.  She will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her, especially her baby sister Lorraine, brother Duane, loving relatives, and many dear friends.

Charmayne was preceded in death by her father, Karl J. Ware, her mother, Ruth Julia Ware, her oldest brother, Wayne Leslie Ware, maternal grandparents, Mollie and Jacob Lebsock, paternal grandparents, and many beloved Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. She is survived by her sister Lorraine, brother Duane (Gayle) Ware, niece, Kristen (Daniel) Knudsen, nephews Trevor (Mallory) and Ryan (Samantha Jo), and great nieces and nephews Mckenna, Macie, Nash, Rex, Greta, Afton, David, Zachary, Aliyah, and Hazel.

We express gratitude to all the medical staff who provided loving care to Charmayne, especially her good friend, Amy Fishburn.