On Sunday, October 14, 2018, Carolyn Cates Lovell passed away at the age of 62 having said goodbye to her loving husband, five children, and six grandchildren. She was born October 30, 1955 in Salt Lake City to David Thomas Cates Jr. and Dorothy Lucille Johnson. She grew up the youngest child with her oldest sister, Kathleen Cates Rose, and her two brothers, Michael Cates and David Cates IV.
Carolyn adventured all through her youth, exploring nearby creeks and gardens with her young friends. She excelled in music, playing violin in Utah’s youth symphony and her high school orchestra and singing with her beautiful voice. She loved acting and performed with theaters most of her life.
After graduating from Highland High School in 1974, Carolyn started college at Brigham Young University and finished at the University of Utah. She received a degree in Elementary Education and loved to teach children of all ages. During college, she served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Serving in the Munich, Germany mission, she became fluent in German and loved working with and serving the German and Austrian people between 1978 and 1980.
Carolyn met the love of her life, Kreed, at a local church event and they were soon married in the Salt Lake Temple on February 27, 1981. From 1981 to 1992, Carolyn and Kreed had 5 children: Rachel Dorothy, Jeremy Kepler, Elizabeth Amber, Erik Stephen, and William Lloyd. The young couple moved often: from Washington to New Mexico, Montana to Kentucky and California before finally putting roots down in Henderson, Nevada.
All who knew Carolyn remember her for her wisdom, her enthusiasm, her love of Christ, and her love for her neighbor. Every moment was an opportunity to grow and learn. While her children were young, she helped organize community summer schools. Her children and others nearby were blessed with her love of learning and her skills of bringing math, science, English, and history to life. Even after many of her kids graduated high school, they loved to sit around her feet as she read to them Harry Potter or discuss insights from the scriptures.
She exhorted all around her to be better versions of themselves as she pushed herself to be the best possible version of herself. She was a talented musician and taught piano and violin for many years. She even taught herself to play viola so she could help more students! Her many students loved coming to her lessons where, although she was firm with expectations, they knew she cared about their success.
When her first granddaughter was born, Carolyn knew she wanted to be able to keep up with her little munchkin, Chloe. She started working out with her son, Jeremy, but soon went above and beyond. Despite her age and painful arthritis, Carolyn became an online fitness coach, competed in triathlons, and could out-yoga, out-bike, and out-run many of her younger peers. She’d often inspire others by saying, “Start moving. Don't wait. Life is so much more fun off the couch.”
Carolyn was diagnosed with cancer in January of 2018 and battled for 10 months with multiple treatments. She knew when her time was coming and was able to have her house full of her kids and grandkids the week leading up to her passing. She was preceded in death by her parents, David Cates Jr. and Dorothy Johnson.
Carolyn is survived by her husband, John Kreed Lovell; five children, Rachel Efros (Ryan), Jeremy Lovell (Heidi), Elizabeth Valentine (James), Erik Lovell, and William Lovell; her beloved grandchildren, Chloe, Olivia, Kreed, Maxwell, Alice, and Declan; and her siblings, Kathleen Rose (Pat), Michael Cates, and David Cates IV (Leslie).
