Amy was born on June 23, 1971 in Seattle, Washington to Lowell and Linda Farr Durham. She was the first girl in the family and grew up as a bit of a tomboy to compete with three older brothers. She was later joined by two younger sisters and a younger brother. As a toddler, she began climbing and swinging from precarious heights, foreshadowing her long and successful career as a gymnast. She competed for Oregon State University, where she was an Academic All American and won an NCAA title for the floor exercise in 1993 (scoring a perfect 10!). As a gymnast, Amy formed life-long friendships with coaches, teammates and competitors. Gymnastics remained part of her life for many years as she coached dozens of young people, teaching them discipline, hard-work and resilience and building their confidence and abilities. She had a gift for working with children and teenagers and remains friends with many of the gymnasts she coached.
Amy had a special facility for building loving networks of friends in every area of her life. From a diverse group of college friends, to teammates, to her GNO girls, from cousins, to neighborhood families and children, everyone loved and felt loved by Amy. She loved working at Deseret Book and developed many close friendships there. Her friends were a great blessing during her illness, and she loved spending time with them. Amy loved dogs, horses, music, games, sarcasm and dark chocolate. She adored her 16 nieces and nephews and they all love her so much.
Amy had a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and served in many capacities in her wards, including Young Women’s President and Relief Society President. She was also a gifted teacher and speaker. Most importantly, Amy was a committed disciple who consistently reached out to those who needed a friend or some extra help. She was smart, strong, direct, kind and caring.
Amy is survived by her mother, Linda Durham, her siblings, Matt (Mary-Margaret), Chris (Jena), Mike (Jennifer), Lindsay (Troy) Denning, Dan (Jeanette) and Leslie, along with her nieces and nephews and her loyal Labrador, Cooper. She is preceded in death by her father, Lowell Durham, Jr., and her grandparents. Funeral services will be held Friday, August 2 at 11:00 am at the Valley View Fifth Ward chapel (2245 E. 3900 So.). Visitors may call from 9:45 to 10:45 that morning, and on Thursday, August 1, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park (3401 South Highland Drive).
