The following obituaries appeared in the July 3, 2024 edition of the Star Valley Independent.
For more area obituaries, please visit Schwab Mortuary.
For more resources including headstones, please visit the Star Valley Historical Society.
Grace Merritt
Grace Ellen Fluckiger Merritt was born on May 22, 1932 in Douglas Wyoming. She passed away June 27, 2024 in Preston, Idaho. She grew up in Bedford, along with her six sisters. Grace married Marvin LaMar Merritt on April 23, 1948 in the Idaho Falls Temple.
Mom and dad raised their five children on their farm in Bedford. They enjoyed camping, hunting, fishing and spending time with their family. She loved baby animals, gardening, hummingbirds and being with her family. She worked alongside dad, spent hours on the tractor, milking cows, feeding calves and still made time to keep up her home and yard. Mom worked at Star Valley Cheese for 15 years and Egan’s Greenhouse.
Her many talents included making the best fudge, divinity, homemade bread, mac and cheese and chicken noodle soup. None of which we can replicate. Most of all she made us feel important and special. She had a talent of teaching you how to work without making it seem like a chore.
Time spent with her family meant the most to mom. Numerous nights spent around the kitchen table eating, visiting and laughing will never be forgotten. Summers spent with grandpa and grandma on the farm, family reunions and trips to Bear Lake were looked forward to. Everyone has a memory of mom/grandma that is special and unique.
She faced challenges head-on with an incredible sense of optimism. Grace had a strong work ethic and was an example of joy, fortitude and love to all with whom she interacted. She was a bit feisty as she became older and it was a great day when she would smile and remember who you were.
She was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She enjoyed serving in both the Primary and Relief Society Presidency.
Grace is survived by her children: Ronald LaMar Merritt (Debra), Sherry Kay Suter (Brian), Bradford H. Merritt (Jody, deceased), Jeffrey Merritt (Debbie), Lee Ann Barton (Steven), 16 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren and 16 great-great grandchildren.
Well done Mom!
A viewing will be held on Sunday July 7, 2024 at the Schwab Mortuary, Thayne from 5-7 p.m.
A viewing for family will be held Monday July 8, 2024 at the Schwab Mortuary, Thayne from 11-12. A graveside service will follow at 12:30 p.m. at the Bedford Cemetery.
Betty Pendleton
Betty Jean Porter Pendleton, 93, passed peacefully from this life on June 29, 2024. She was passionate in her testimony of Jesus Christ and her love and devotion to her family.
Betty was born on January 20, 1931, in Smoot, Wyoming, to Wilford Austin Porter and Alice Elnora Johnson. She spent her life in Star Valley and graduated from Star Valley High School, where she met her eternal companion, Leo Calvin Pendleton. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on September 21, 1949. They spent the next 67 years together dedicating their lives to building a faithful family with values of service, hard work, and love.
Betty had a lifelong love of learning. From an early age, her teachers recognized her desire to learn and her bright mind. The school skipped Betty to the next grade level. After graduating from high school, Betty attended BYU on an academic scholarship. Her education was interrupted by marriage and raising a family. After many years, Betty resumed her formal education by returning to BYU. She studied from home and on the BYU Provo campus, and received her Bachelor’s Degree.
Ever the teacher, Betty was always ready to share a poem. She would often recite from memory her favorite poems and scriptures, which taught important principles and life lessons. She was a remarkable storyteller, and would share memorable life experiences with enthusiasm and love.
Betty had a deep and abiding love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and was a stalwart member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her unwavering testimony strengthened her family, friends, and all who crossed her path. Betty and Leo served three full-time missions together in Nigeria, Nauvoo, and Salt Lake Temple Square. Betty and Leo drove from Star Valley to serve in the Idaho Falls temple every week for more than 20 years. Her life of service and love will serve as a lasting legacy for her family.
Her service in the church included teacher, chorister, Stake Primary President, Ward Primary President, Ward Young Women’s President, Ward Relief Society President and many other callings to serve.
Betty and Leo loved their mountain home, family and friends in Thayne. They treasured their lifelong friends in Star Valley. During the winter months, Leo and Betty traveled to St. George, Utah to enjoy the warmer climate and returned to Star Valley in the spring. Later in life, Betty relocated to St. George. She appreciated her friendships in St. George and spoke often about the wonderful people that helped her along the way. Her life was defined by service to others. She continued this service in St. George.
Betty knew what was most important in this life, and she never let go of that focus. Betty is an example of how to live a life.
Betty is survived by her six children and their spouses; Lana (Randy) Hillstead, David Leo (Teri) Pendleton, Val D. (Shelley) Pendleton, Ann (Michael) Alletto, Becky (Robert) Allen, Linda (Dewayne) Smith; and 27 grandchildren; and 70 great-grandchildren and her sister, Florence Seegmiller.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Leo, her parents, Wilford Austin Porter and Alice Elnora Johnson, and her siblings Max, Melvin, Eva, Della Mae, Louise, and Lynn, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
A viewing will be held on July 8, 2024, at the Thayne Latter-day Saint Chapel, 276 Dana Street Thayne, Wyo, at 10 am. Betty’s Celebration of Life will then be held at noon, and the interment will follow at the Thayne Cemetery.
