May 15, 1938 ~ August 1, 2020 (age 82)Our sweet mom, Chyrl Park Herzog, passed away peacefully in her home on Saturday, August 1, 2020. Her four children were by her side as she slipped off to be reunited with Dad and many other loved ones awaiting a joyous reunion. As hard as it is to say goodbye, we are thrilled she can now see and move about freely. Mom had health obstacles that made ‘everyday’ living a challenge but she chose to stay with us and endure to the end.
Mom was the fourth child born to Porter Lybbert and Fern Louise Larsen Merrell of Duchesne, Utah. Mom had an idyllic childhood filled with days of playing with her dolls on the bank of the Strawberry River and a swing in the large cottonwood tree in their front yard. She spoke often of the loving atmosphere she was raised in with her brothers, Glade and Reid, and sisters, Arlene and Sondra.
Mom started taking piano lessons in the first grade and continued with lessons until the summer before entering ninth grade. She played the pump organ for the Junior Sunday school when she was young and she loved to play the piano and accompany those in need of her talent. It’s hard to think of a time where Mom wasn’t the organist at church.
Mom had many happy memories of her time growing up in Duchesne where she and her friends were involved in planning school dances, playing in band competitions, singing in the chorus, and performing in dance festivals.
Mom attended Brigham Young University and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Music. She loved teaching and did so for 27-years in both Arizona and Utah.
While teaching in Arizona, she was introduced, by a fellow teacher, to LeRoy Robert Park, who had attended law school with her husband in Tucson, Arizona. Mom and Dad met on October 20, 1967, and were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on July 12, 1968. When Dad was asked about Mom he would reply, “Chyrl is sweet, kind, and good.”
After 11-short years of marriage, Mom found herself widowed with four young children ages 2, 4, 7, and 8. Mom went back to teaching school and raised us with many kind and loving friends and neighbors in Bountiful, Utah. Those years are fondly referred to as “795” – our house number.
Mom created memories and traditions of work – both yard work and housework. Yard work was often rewarded with a trip to Pace’s Dairy Ann because we were all too tired to make dinner. Housework consisted of various “chore charts” throughout the years for ‘day to day’ tasks. The real “scouring” took place in the spring when everything from the window tracks, the walls, and the baseboards, to every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedrooms were taken apart, wiped down and put back in order.
We had more trips to local parks than many kids can claim. Parks along with ‘up and coming’ playgrounds at fast-food restaurants, (those weren’t always ‘a thing’), allowed Mom to sit and correct student’s papers while we played and entertained ourselves. Mom was adamant about checking each student’s work so she could see where each child was struggling or excelling. Mom wanted to see how she needed to reteach a concept the next day or if the class was ready to move on. She was an A+ teacher.
Mom was fun and a ‘child at heart’. She loved to decorate for holidays and went as far as to provide treats and gifts, not only from Santa Claus but St. Valentine, St. Patrick as well as the Easter Bunny. There was anticipation walking into the kitchen at “795” to see what surprise awaited us on the kitchen table.
Birthdays were celebrated with a homemade German chocolate cake until Mom discovered ice cream cakes from Baskin Robbins – mint chocolate chip was ‘a given’. In recent years each of us would receive a personal phone call from Mom as she would sing Happy Birthday. We are going to miss that.
Mom would go ‘housing’ with her daughters and their friends when the days of ‘teenage crushes’ were upon us. Mom was as silly and crazy as we were. She made those little ‘drive-by’s’ so fun.
Mom loved shopping; catalog shopping was her favorite. Mom must have been on every company’s mailing list. She had an eye for unique and beautiful treasures. She had a talent for embroidery work and loved to create things in 5’s – one for her and one for each of us kids. These works of her art are now our treasures, reminding us of days when she could actually see well enough to sew.
Other memories of Mom include trips to BYU football games, watching the Utah Jazz, and “way back in the day”, we would rent a VCR and movies from Top Hat video at 5-Points Mall on Friday night and await the delivery of Dominos Pizza. Mom did all she could to provide us with happy memories. As the four of us are all parents ourselves, we have a great appreciation of the sacrifice and effort Mom put into raising us without Dad. Thank you Mom.
Mom had other hobbies and passions in her life, but two, in particular, are those of music and flowers. Mom had a great appreciation for music. She loved to attend the symphony and concerts. Her love for flowers and gardening was deep. She cared for her plants the way she would nurture someone – worried about them receiving “a drink” and wanting to make certain their intake was long and deep. One of her bragging rights at “795” was her 100+ rose bushes in her yard amongst the many other flowers she was helping to flourish. Music and flowers brought her relaxation, happiness, and fulfillment.
On October 12, 1988, after 9-years of having Mom to ourselves, she married Boyd E. Herzog. Mom and Boyd were able to serve a mission in the St. Cloud, Florida Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the Deseret Ranch. When they opened their call, she remarked, with a question in her voice, “We’re going to be farmers?” Mom found a way to use her expertise in teaching by volunteering at a local elementary school while Boyd worked on the ranch. Mom loved the time she and Boyd spent serving in the Orlando, Florida temple on their day off. The temple was a place of comfort for her. Mom found peace serving in the Logan, Utah temple before and after their mission.
Mom’s true and deepest joy was her family. Nothing made her happier than to have her four children and their spouses together along with her 16-grandchildren. Mom has been a kind and thoughtful grandma. She has shared her love and testimony of our Savior with her grandchildren; Ethan, Scarlett, Sasha, and Teage Graham; Christian, Cooper, Madelyn, Sophie, and Porter Park; Austin (Avrie), Amanda, Zoe, and Sadie Peck; and Grace, Eve and Naomi Christensen. Mom always had a General Conference talk to share or a message she learned from listening to BYU devotionals. She loves her missionaries and they have been the beneficiaries of many copies of talks photocopied and mailed to Leeds, England; Taipei, Taiwan; Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Gilbert, Arizona x 2. Grandma has been the best pen-pal!
Mom is preceded in death by her husbands, LeRoy Robert Park and Boyd E. Herzog as well as her parents, Porter and Fern Merrell. She leaves behind her children Jodi (Doug) Graham, Roger (Elaine) Park, Heather (Chris) Peck, and Melodi (Josh) Christensen, as well as Boyd’s children, Julie (Jody) Warburton, Troy (Carol) Herzog, Crystal Hein and Michelle (Kevin) Stay and Boyd’s grandchildren; Jesse and JoDeanna Warburton, Samantha, Stephanie, and Tiffany Herzog, Britain, London, and Bridgette Boyland and Nikolas (Kelly) and Catherine Stay.
We want to thank the numerous physicians and healthcare workers who have helped Mom these last 15-years at the Moran Eye Center, Eye Prosthetics of Utah, Logan Regional Hospital, LDS Hospital, and Utah Valley Hospital.
Our utmost love, respect, and gratitude are given to the angels who have watched over Mom, during these last two years of decline, from Elevation Hospice. You provided Mom with love and friendship in her deepest valleys. Then, as Mom was passing on, you came and carried us through to the very end; we can never thank you enough.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are unable to orchestrate the funeral Mom desired with many of you who mean so much to her and our family. We will, however, hold a visitation on the evening of Sunday, August 16, 2020 from 5:00 – 8:00pm at Lindquist’s Bountiful Mortuary, 727 North 400 East, Bountiful, Utah.
Thank you for your love, concern, support, and prayers.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at Lindquist Mortuary.