Juanita L. Howe Obituary (2015)

1927 ~ 2015 Juanita Lyon Howe passed away on October 1, 2015 in Salt Lake City due to natural causes. In the hours preceding her death, her husband, sons and daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren gathered to say a brief goodbye and to share their love and memories of their beloved "Nana Nita." Juanita was born on February 15, 1927 to George Harlan Lyon and Elmyra Teresa Holm in the Cottonwood Maternity Home in Murray, Utah. The youngest of seven children, she enjoyed a dear association with her brothers and sisters, Elmyra Elizabeth Lyon Adams, Norma Louise Lyon Fisher, Deon Blanche Lyon Marriott, Elaine Lyon Carpenter, George Holm Lyon, and Charles Lyon. Always proud of her Danish ancestry, she made several trips to the small Danish lsland of Bornholm to seek out relatives and research her family history. At the time she was born, Murray was a town of about 5, 000 residents. She was raised on the west side of town on Poplar Street, in the shadows of the two Murray smelter smokestacks. She attended school at Arlington Elementary and Murray Junior High School, graduating from Murray High School in 1945. Juanita was always very proud of her Murray heritage and proud to be a "Smelterite." She also attended the University of Utah where she was a member of the Marching Band. Nita enjoyed every minute of her life growing up in Murray. She loved her friends and teachers and always acknowledged what a great influence for good they were in her life. Juanita married Richard Cuddy Howe in the Salt Lake Temple on August 30, 1949 in a ceremony officiated by Apostle John A. Widstoe. They built their home in South Cottonwood in 1957 where she lived for the rest of her life and where she and Richard raised their six children. For her 50th birthday, she received a swimming pool, which served as a gathering place for her family and friends for 38 years. Later in life she returned to the "U" to finish her degree in History, graduating in 1989. Mom was a proud "Ute" and loved all things University of Utah. Involving herself in many activities was the hallmark of her life. She took great joy in her children, grand-children, and great-grandchildren and faithfully attended all of their concerts, recitals, games, and plays. She was a vital part of all of their lives. She loved the Scouting program and faithfully served in many callings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including in the Primary as Den Mother and working in the ward library. Juanita also spent years researching and gathering her family history, including taking trips to Europe to search out her ancestors. She loved to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ and graduated from Seminary and twice from the Institute of Religion. She was also involved in several civic organizations and was honored to be a member of the Murray Ladies Civic Guild, the South Cottonwood Camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and the Uintah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Juanita loved music and sang with the Jay Welch Chorale and the Choral Arts Society for many years. During her later years in life, as her health slowly failed, she received constant devoted and gentle care from her husband and her three daughters. She is survived by her husband, Richard Cuddy; children, Christine Howe Schultz (Stuart), Andrea Howe Reynolds (Frederick), Bryant Richard Howe (Sandy), Valerie Howe Winegar (Clifford), Jeffrey Cuddy Howe, and Craig Harlan Howe (Cathy); 20 grandchildren; and 23 great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 5, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at the South Cottonwood Ward Chapel, 5605 South Vine Street, Murray. Visitations will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2015 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the South Cottonwood Ward Chapel and prior to the funeral from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Interment: Murray City Cemetery. Online condolences may be shared at www.jenkins-soffe.com. Funeral Home: Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary-Murray 4760 South State Street Murray, UT 84107