June 2, 1931 – March 19, 2024 (age 92)
Early in the morning, on the first day of Spring, Jeanine Wilson Larsen left her room and joined family members, and long time friends, on the other side of the veil. She leaves behind a great, and diverse, family legacy, all of whom she loved very much. She passed away from natural causes.
She was the first born child of Merrill Kenneth and Enid Bradshaw Wilson and was born in Wellsville, Utah. She grew up in nearby Hyrum, Utah. She often talked of roaming the hills and valleys surrounding her hometown and had great memories of joining her parents up at Hardware Ranch during the summer, washing and cooking for all the workers herding sheep and cattle.
She attended Lincoln Elementary in Hyrum and graduated from South Cache High in 1949. After graduating, she and her best friend, Sue Jean Anderson, found employment in Salt Lake City working in a bank. While she was living in Salt Lake City, she received her Patriarchal Blessing from Eldridge G. Smith, the head Patriarch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the autumn of 1950, she met a tall, dark handsome “city slicker” from Logan, Utah named Lyman Larsen. They met at the famous Hyrum Elite Dance Hall. They married on May 18, 1951 and later sealed for time and all eternity in the Logan LDS Temple.
In January of 1953, they welcomed their first child, a son Brad. After living in several apartments, she and dad built their first home, a small but cozy red brick house on the near corner of 900 north and 1200 east in Logan. They joined many other families upon what is known in Logan as “The Hill”, who also built their first homes. It was a neighborhood of doctors, attorneys, teachers, university professors and many members of the Utah State University men’s football coaching staff.
Many of those families attended their LDS worship services in the old post-war Quonset Hut (now KUSU radio). In 1956, a brand new chapel was built on 1500 east and became the Logan 20th Ward. In May of that year, a second child, daughter Jan, was born. She was the first baby blessed in the new chapel. Mom and Dad made some eternal friendships in and around the neighborhoods. In 1959, a third child, daughter Lori Ann was born.
Mom loved to celebrate holidays, but none better than Christmas. The house, inside and out, decorated. Many cans of “flock” were used to stencil the windows. After having live trees, Mom decided to go the artificial route and the silver tree with different colored balls became the mainstay for many years.
Mom was physically strong. In the late 1950s, and throughout the 1960s, she won many individual and team titles bowling the Wednesday Night women’s league and Friday Night mixed doubles league.
In 1965, she found full-time employment at the Utah State University Credit Union as a Loan Officer. She made many life-long friends among the office staff and USU employees.
In 1976, she and dad finally had enough of the cold Cache Valley winters, packing up and moving to Arizona. They spent one year in Scottsdale before moving across the valley to Glendale where she has resided for the past 47 years. She found employment at the Arizona State Federal Employees Credit Union where she worked for over 30 years. She loved her co-workers and made many long lasting friendships.
For the past two years, she has split time living in Glendale (Nov-April) and Monticello, Utah (April -October). She lived in Monticello with her daughter Jan and son in-law Jeff Simon. Jeff is the head golf professional at the Hideout Golf Course.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother Phillip Ray Wilson. Sister in-law Lois Wilson, and a niece, Tammy Wilson. A brother George Scott Wilson. A daughter in-law Pauline Larsen. Infant twin granddaughters Lindsay Joanne and Jennifer Pauline Larsen. An infant great-granddaughter Alice Sydney Olson.
She is survived by a son Brad (Christy) Larsen of Syracuse, Utah. A daughter, Jan (Jeff Simon) of Monticello, Utah/Glendale Arizona. A daughter Lori Ann (Bill) Olson of Cottonwood Arizona. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 24 great-grand children.
Funeral services are under the direction of The Chapel of the Chimes funeral home in Glendale, Arizona.
A 30 minute graveside service will be held on Tuesday, March 26 at 10:00 am at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Cave Creek Arizona. She will be interred next to her husband.
The family would like to express their love and appreciation to Hospice for all their kind care of Mom.