Karin Ute Bruton Obituary (1945 - 2016)

Auf Wiedersehen! Our beloved and cherished wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Karin, passed away at age 71 on May 23, 2016, surrounded by those who cherish her the most, her family. Karin went on to her next big adventure after being diagnosed and having a six-week battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Karin's life began February 18, 1945, but she would say she started living when she met Cecil, her best friend, partner in crime and husband of 54 years. The scene was 1961 Karlsruhe, Germany, in the Guest House Dance Hall near Karin's childhood home. Cecil was the green and eager North Carolina-raised G.I. serving his country during the Cold War. Karin was the German beauty sipping a Coca-Cola in the back of the pub who lured him from the American shores straight into her heart. Months later he was called back to the U.S. and told her he couldn't go without her. So, across the pond they went, in planes, trains and automobiles. The stomach-churning military cargo plane ride across the ocean was first, then the train that slowly snaked over hill and dale and if that weren't enough to make one long for solid German ground, an hours-long car trip across the countryside followed before the newlyweds kissed the ground at Cecil's family home in Winchester, Virginia. There Karin, who spoke very little English, learned her husband's native tongue by watching game shows with "Big Mama" and "Big Daddy," Cecil's parents. Soon the pair was blessed with two wonderful daughters, Cathy and Sue Ann, making their family complete. Karin learned to cook with "Big Mama's" family recipes, creating what we affectionately call "Southern Fried German." And boy, could she cook! Karin started with a heaping scoop of her German roots and seasoned it with some North Carolina flavor concocting delicious dishes fried with love that brought her family around the dinner table every Sunday. Her German potato salad and schnitzel are legendary, and although we all have the recipes, we will never be able to make them like she did. Karin raised her young daughters in North Carolina while her husband served two separate tours of duty in Vietnam. After having the opportunity to live in Germany and United States, Cecil was transferred to Utah in 1975 where they came to call Salt Lake City home. As retirement drew near, Cecil started itching for the shores of his North Carolina home, as any true southerner does. In 2001 he shot for The Carolinas and landed in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where he and Karin added "snow birds" to their resumes. They enjoyed traveling back and forth between Florida and Utah visiting all of their military friends they accumulated through the years. The duo quickly rose in the ranks to become some of the fiercest treasure hunters in the antiquing game. No map needed. Karin felt it was time to permanently come back home to Utah last year. Karin was one of the family's loudest cheerleaders, heard across Utah soccer and football fields at every game, always spotted in the shade of her sun umbrella. She was the biggest supporter of her children and grandchildren. We will always remember Karin's fierce love, character, honesty and fine words of wisdom. Ich liebe dich. She is survived by her loving husband Cecil, her daughters Cathy (Corey) and Sue Ann and her grandchildren Lena, Chase (Ashton), Courtney (Jordan) and Conner. A celebration of Karin's life will be held Saturday, May 28, 2016, at noon for friends and family at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway (10600 South), South Jordan, Utah. A visitation will be held prior from 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Please visit www.jenkins-soffe.com to express condolences. Funeral Home: Jenkins-Soffe South Valley 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway South Jordan, UT 84095