Elizabeth Amy Gibson

At 11:12 a.m. on February 16, 2016, our sweet mother, wife, grandmother, sister, and aunt slipped into eternity. Elizabeth Amy Stevens Gibson blessed the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, with her gift of charity, her gentle spirit, and her exemplary life as a disciple of Christ. She will be remembered as a woman of grace and faith. She would often say, “I don’t know why I wasn’t blessed with any talents.” But all who knew her saw the beautiful clothes and quilts she made, enjoyed her delicious cooking, felt the beauty and peace of her home, and admired her incredible intellect.

Beth descended from a proud pioneer heritage and was born to Ammon Cannon and Amy Jane Roberts Stevens on July 24, 1923 in the small LDS community of Red Mesa, Colorado. As a child, she always thought the parades on July 24th were in her honor. She was the third child in the family and first daughter, and was soon followed by seven more sisters and another brother. Six weeks after the last child was born, when Beth was 12, her mother had a major stroke that left her paralyzed on the right side of her body for the rest of her life. This placed a huge responsibility on Beth, as the oldest daughter, to help with the children. In addition, this was during the depth of the Great Depression; the family had little and was actually living in a barn at the time. Three years later in despair, her father abandoned the family. The children moved into the home of their grandparents and other relatives. It was while Beth was living with her Grandma Roberts that she met and fell in love with her soul mate, Wallace Eugene Gibson. He had come to Red Mesa to wire the community for electricity. They soon married in the Mesa Arizona Temple on November 12, 1940. After their first child was born, the young couple moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, so Wally could do electrical work with his father. They soon brought Beth’s mother to live with them, and they cared for her until her death in 1949. She was the first of many people they opened their home to; sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins and others in need of temporary respite were all able to feel of Beth and Wally’s love, guidance and generosity in their lives.

Beth and Wally were blessed with five daughters and a son. During their marriage, they lived in Durango, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; Portland, Oregon; Westchester, California; Canoga Park, California; Holladay, Utah; and South Jordan, Utah. Throughout those years, Beth lovingly raised her children, sewing all their clothes, teaching her daughters the fine arts of homemaking, and serving in numerous leadership positions in the LDS Church. She worked several years for ZCMI in the housewares department and at company headquarters. She and Wally served three missions. They were the first missionaries at the Denver Colorado Temple, served as office assistants in Nova Scotia, Canada, and served as stake missionaries. She worked side-by-side with Wally as a temple worker in the Jordan River Temple and also for years as he served as a stake patriarch, transcribing each blessing with loving care.

She and Dad provided an example of true love, giving their children and grandchildren a model of what marriage should and could be. They adored each other and were rarely seen not holding hands when they were together. Their love story will last through the ages.

Mother’s life was filled with contrasts: born into abject poverty, she lived her adult life in comfort; raised without a father, yet she was happily married to her sweetheart Wally for 75 years; lived as a child in a barn without running water or electricity, yet she excelled in filling her home with beauty; separated from her sisters at a young age, yet they had a lasting bond that kept them close their entire lives.

Our angel mother never said an unkind word, and will always be our ultimate example of womanhood. Her influence will last generations.

Beth is survived by her eternal companion, Wally, daughters Aldine Allen, Arlea (Nels) Gibson, Jayna (Vince) Friberg-Cleamons, Rosanne (Steve) Markham, and son Matthew (Gwen) Gibson, 29 grandchildren, 71 great grandchildren, and 8 great-great grandchildren. She is also survived by her dear sisters, Marjorie Bateman, Christine George, Marva Armstrong, and her brother Hubert Stevens. She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter, Renee Gibson, son-in-law Larry Allen, grandsons-in-law Ryan Jensen and Todd Valentine, grandson Spencer Newton, and her siblings Carl, Evan, Norma, Lou, Bonnie and Anna.

A viewing will be held from 6:00-8:00 on Friday, February 19, at the River Ridge 1st Ward LDS Chapel (10124 South 1300 West, South Jordan, Utah-directly north of the Jordan River Temple). Funeral services will be held in the same location on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 11:12 a.m., with a viewing from 10-10:45 a.m. Interment will be at the Valley View Memorial Park, 4335 West 4100 South, West Valley City, Utah, immediately following the services. Special thanks to Beth’s granddaughter and her husband, Shauna and Jeff Gruwell, for the sacrifices they made to live with Beth and Wally, caring for their every need the past three years. The family would also like to thank the kind and dedicated caregivers from Summit Hospice (Ninnette, Kathy, Wes, Annette, Marianella and Dr. Kevin Tschetter) who tended to Beth’s medical needs the past six months.