Krista Ralston Oakes

Krista Ralston Oakes lived a life that touched many people for good. She always looked for opportunities to help those in need to mourn with those that mourn and to comfort those that stood in need of comfort.

She started her life as the first child of Lynn and Phil Ralston near Chicago Illinois. She grew up in a close family who taught her to love the Lord. This love grew into a love for all she met. She would always look for ways to uplift others despite struggling with her own trials.

While attending junior high her parents moved to Lindon, Utah where she attended Pleasant Grove Junior High School. This is where she met her future husband Jared Oakes. Their friendship took time to develop, yet by their junior year of high school they were inseparable. After graduating from Pleasant Grove High School, Krista attended Brigham Young University at the age of 16. She continued with her college degree while waiting for Jared to finish a 2 year mission for their church. Five months after his return Krista graduated from BYU with bachelor's degree in psychology. A week later Krista and Jared were married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Krista developed a career working with regulatory affairs within the medical device community. She soon became quite skilled in her chosen profession and eventually started her own consulting business named Amica Solutions. She specialized in a business friendly approach to regulatory affairs that took into account the whole company and focused on manufacturing quality products rather than just meeting the regulatory requirements. This approach proved successful with a wide range of companies from multi-billion dollar companies to startup businesses.

Despite her success in business, her greatest worked started after years of dealing with infertility, pregnancy loss and the desire to bring children into her family. In May of 2000, after dealing with a tragic miscarriage, Krista started the "Two of Us for Now" (http://www.2ofus4now.org/) support network, consisting of an information website and online support group for families dealing with these same issues. Over the years her network has given support and comfort to participants spanning the globe. Drawing from her own experiences, Krista interacted with thousands of couples who have gathered online to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.

A few months after starting 2ofus4now, Krista and Jared traveled to Washington, D.C., as volunteer lobbyists for RESOLVE, a national infertility support group. Representing constituents from the State of Texas, they met with staff members for Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Phil Graham, and with Congressman Sam Johnson, and lobbied passionately for the Hope for Children Act. This legislation, which extended tax credits for adoption, subsequently passed and was signed into law.

In 2001 Krista and Jared's desire to expand their family was realized. They adopted their son, Jacob, and were sealed to him in the Dallas Texas Temple. In 2005 they were blessed with another child. They were able to adopt their daughter, Emma, who was born in Washington, D.C. Emma was sealed to her parents in the Dallas Texas Temple on September 3, 2005.

In December of 2005, just a few months after Emma was born, Krista was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Concerned about the future of the 2ofus4now support group with this new health challenge, Krista looked for an ongoing way of addressing many of the common issues facing LDS infertile couples. She wrote the first manuscript of Fertile in Our Faith while recovering from neurosurgery. Fertile in Our Faith was published by Millennial Press in 2007. The book provides support and hope to families dealing with infertility and pregnancy loss and helps others understand the pain and sorrow that these trails can bring into a family's life.

As with her other trials in life, Krista wanted to reach out to those that were also dealing with the emotional pain of living with brain cancer. Soon after her diagnosis she started to blog her experiences (http://onkristasmind.blogspot.com/), feelings and faith as it related to dealing with brain cancer. Her blog has put her in touch with many who were dealing with this same trial. Many people followed her blog entertained by her humor and easy writing style and touched by her unshakable faith in her loving Heavenly Father.

Krista was truly an example of someone followed the teachings of Jesus Christ for she mourned with those that mourned and comforted those that stood in need of comfort and stood as a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places, even until death. Mosiah 18:9

She will be missed dearly by many.

The family will receive friends at a visitation at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Thursday, December 16, 2010 from 9:30 until service time which begins at 11:00 a.m. at 2401 Legacy Dr., Plano, Texas 75023. Krista will be laid to rest at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen, Texas following the service.