Kathleen Mar Stanfield

Kay was born October 15, 1922 in Parowan Utah. Her parents were Enoch Lafayette Mortensen and Cora Peneva Wimmer. She has 10 brothers and sisters who have all preceded her in death. They are Lora, Ruby, Mary Annie, Marion, Enoch Wimmer, John Smith, Phyllis, Maude, Claudia and Harold Wimmer.

Her value of hard work and caring for others was taught to her early in her life from her parents. Her dad worked hard as a farmer and sheepherder and provided for the family. Her mother was a practical nurse and spent many hours caring for the sick and taking care of the dead. Her mom also taught her children to love the Gospel and to always be dependable. The children were taught how to work and Kay was very grateful for the things she was taught.

Parowan was a very dear place for Kathleen and she had many fond memories concerning her birthplace and growing up with her siblings. She graduated from Parowan High School in 1940 and the LDS Seminary in 1939. She enjoyed living in Parowan and the freedoms she enjoyed there. Some of these were being able to stay out until after dark and play games with the neighborhood children. She also enjoyed her outings at the Five Mile, fun picnics, and singing around the campfire.

Each summer she would help weed the garden. She really liked it when the tomatoes would turn ripe. One of her favorite sayings was that her birthday was getting close when the tomatoes were starting to get ripe.

Kay enjoyed growing up in the church, her family home evenings and participating in school activities. In 1938 she was selected as the Goddess of Liberty. She rode on the float and was able to sing a solo “My Own America”.

She comes from a strong pioneer heritage. Her great grandfather was George A Smith who served as a counselor to Brigham Young and helped settle parts of Southern Utah along with his wife, and great grandmother Zilpha Stark.

Her first job away from home was in Cedar City, where she worked at the Iron County Hospital. She really enjoyed helping others and as she looked back on her life she wishes she would have pursued a career in nursing. Some other jobs she enjoyed were at the Paris Company, J.C. Penny, where she worked in the Foundations department and many ward member men would come in and sing” How Firm a Foundation”. She enjoyed working with the public and later started her own business, Weddings by Kay. She loved to change the cultural halls into a Fairyland when all decorations were done and the lights turned on, one would stand back in awe.

Her mom and dad later moved to Salt Lake City and she eventually moved in with them. She attended the Highland View ward where she met her future husband, Donald Edgar Stanfield. Their romance blossomed, and they eventually married on March 11, 1949. They were later sealed for time and all eternity in the Logan Utah temple in 1964. During that time, Don was working for PIE truck lines as an auditor. He was later transferred to the San Francisco Bay Area, and so they lived in Oakland, California. They lived there for one year. Kay remarked it was a brand new world to her. She enjoyed taking the ferry over to San Francisco and seeing all of the sights of the big city. Don, however, could not take the damp weather and he was offered a job in Salt Lake City, Utah. After moving there, Kay worked for Dr. Burman as a receptionist. Don was later offered a job in Ogden, Utah working for Allstate truck lines. This is where they began their family. Allyn Kim was born in April of 1952 just one hour shy of being an Easter Bunny. She was very proud of Kim when he received the rank of Eagle Scout in 1966. She has said how hard Kim works and what a great job he does in building his barns and houses as part of his business. She enjoyed Kim’s family and all he did for her.

In 1953, Don accepted a job with Bee Freight lines in Denver, Colorado, where she remained for the rest of her life. Her second son Gregory Kent was born in 1955. She was proud of his accomplishments. Such as graduating from Dixie College, serving an LDS mission to Portland, Oregon, graduating from Brigham Young University and Southern Utah University, and being married in the St. George Temple. Greg and his family haven’t been around as much since Greg spent most of his time coaching, teaching and being an administrator in the neighboring western states. She always enjoyed his visits along with his family.

Greg always remembers when Kay learned to drive at age 40. She learned on a clutch so there was a lot of burnt rubber in front of their house. She could also talk her way out of tickets. Greg remembers one night she got pulled over for not having her lights on, she played dumb and talked her way out of a ticket.

She has left quite a legacy for her family to follow. She has 2 sons, 1 stepson, 14 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, and 3 great great grandchildren.

Some of her fondest church memories were in 1972 when she helped the stake put on their speech festival entitled Campaign Promises. In 1976, she helped put on the Bicentennial Ball, 1776-1976; it was hosted at the Regency Hotel.

She has worked in all of the auxiliaries of the church and has had many leadership experiences. She served as Stake Primary President for 12 years and enjoyed working with the children. She knows the Lord blessed her in all of these callings.

In 1986, she, along with her husband, Don, began her favorite calling in the church. They were called to help open the Denver Temple as an ordinance worker and Director of Training. She was also the sister supervisor on Thursday mornings. She worked in the temple for 29 years and retired on her 92nd birthday. She truly enjoyed her time serving in the House of the Lord. She said she never got tired of serving with the workers and the patrons she was able to serve with. She was also blessed as she made a book of memories for each outgoing temple president.

One of the last projects Kay worked on was helping to establish a Camp of Daughters of Utah Pioneers. On August 29, 2009, they held their first meeting here in Denver with 15 in attendance. Their company name is Adams’ Trappers Trail and their camp is called Mountain View. She enjoyed the lessons and having a chance to share with others her pioneer legacy. She also served as President of this organization for a period of time.

As mentioned earlier, she is the last of her 11 brothers and sisters to be called home. Her beloved husband, Don, died at age 86 in 2003.

Kay has truly been blessed in this life by the Lord and has also touched the lives of those she came in contact with. She will be missed, but we know she will be very active in heaven doing whatever the Lord wants her to do. Bless you and we look forward to seeing you again.