Cora Lee "Mongie" Deardorff Obituary (1931 - 2019)

Cora Lee “Mongie” Deardorff, age 88, passed away peacefully September 1, 2019 due to natural causes. She was born March 10, 1931 in Seattle, Washington to Knox and Hilda Moore. She married her high school sweetheart and soulmate, Jack Deardorff, in October of 1950 who preceded her in death in 2002. She was also preceded in death by her only daughter, Cindy Deardorff-Dalrymple in 2006 which left a gaping hole in her heart. In her late teens and early twenties, she briefly enjoyed modeling and appeared in several magazines including the cover of one magazine. She was very athletic and was an accomplished golfer and bowler who enjoyed tournaments due to her competitive nature. Later in life she put that competitive spirit to work scorekeeping at her children’s football, basketball & baseball games and never hesitated to display her distinct voice above the crowd regardless whether it was a dozen vs. thousands of spectators in coaching her kids. Cora Lee loved to love on people. She knitted and crocheted baby blankets and clothing for all her family members… especially her grandchildren & great grandchildren. Her hands were rarely still. She also enjoyed fashioning Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls, Golf sweaters, Quilts and Doiley’s & Table Cloths. Basically she was an accomplished seamstress. She also shared her love by cooking enormous Thanksgiving feasts and inviting 1-2 dozen of her son-in-law’s fraternity brothers from the University of Utah to enjoy. In 1971, she became involved in the women’s organization PEO which is, simply put, a philanthropic educational organization for women. However, the actual acronym meaning is only known to the internal membership. Cora Lee fulfilled many roles and always answered the call to serve regardless of the position or time commitment required. She had two hobbies she was very passionate about: collecting sea shells (displayed everywhere in her home) and feeding the many species of birds that would visit her feeders. She could sit in her sunroom for hours on end watching them feast. For many years Cora Lee volunteered at Cottonwood Hospital, TOSH and most recently, at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray where she retired from volunteer work. It suited her servant heart. She said she did it because her father raised her to believe serving others was the Lord’s work and he used to say: “Do what’s right and do what’s good. Be kind and help others. The world can always use one more kind person. And if you can take it one step further, please do it for those less fortunate than ourselves.” Cora Lee had the heavenly ability to see the good in people even when the majority of others could not. She gave incredibly more than she received without favor and never complained. Her life was a living example of her favorite Bible verse, Ephesians 4:32 — “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Cora Lee is survived by her son and wife Tom & Joyce Deardorff, son Bobby Deardorff, son-in-law Doug Dalrymple; grandchildren, Brooke Deardorff, Norin and husband Jamie Meadows, Bryce and wife Susan Dalrymple, Zach and wife Kira Deardorff, Stephanie & husband Brad White, Erik & wife Kaycee McFarland; plus 8 great grandchildren and her many nephews and nieces. All of which she loved and touched deeply. A Celebration of Life will be held in early November at which time the family will communicate the date, time & details. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Shriners Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.