E. Jeanne Hucko

Beautiful and ever grateful Evelyn Jeanne Grubaugh Hucko passed away August 6, 2012 at 8:30 PM at St. Mark’s Hospital from complications due to non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Congestive Heart Failure and not having bowled for a year! She was 87 years young.

Born March 24, 1925 in the thriving Montana plains town of Park City to Edna Louise Vannice and Charles Glenn Grubaugh, she was one of 11 loving siblings who worked a 3-acre family garden. She graduated from Park City High School in 1942, was the school valedictorian and with her sister Alice were guards on the high school basketball team. She attended the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana and graduated with a degree in dietetics.

It was there she met her future husband, Stephen Hucko. They married, started a family with the birth of Robert Bruce Hucko, moved to NY for Steve to finish his studies in physical therapy, and finally settled in Salt Lake City, Utah where Steve was employed as the head physical therapist at LDS Hospital. They soon joined Zion Lutheran Church and completed their family with the birth of Becky Ann Hucko (Fontaine) and Jeffrey Jack Hucko. Jeanne’s days were soon filled with the work of family and church. She found a passion for and friendship in bowling and was a member of her church bowling team for 50 years. Her bowling days were highlighted by two near perfect games (one strike short of 300 in the tenth frame) that came later in life. When her children were old enough to ski she chose to join them in lessons rather than wait for them in the Alta coffee shop.

She liked black coffee, baking, visiting close friends and traveling to see any and all of her 10 siblings. A fabulous cook, friends and family lick their lips at the mention of her beef stroganoff, hamburger bake or any of the Czechoslovakian pastries that she learned to make from her mother-in-law. Even as she lay in the hospital awaiting her last breath, Jeanne was giving to others. She thanked her pastor for his kind words, welcomed her many final visitors, said she was so thankful for the blessing of her life and finally said, “I just wanna’ get the heck out of here!”

She is survived by her sisters Alice Gaston (Montana) and Lila Mae (Colorado); all three of her children; Bruce (Moab, UT), Becky Ann Fontaine (husband Gary, Tacoma, WA) and Jeffrey Jack (Park City, UT). She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings: Rose, Margaret, Lois, Donna, Stanley Dean, Dale, Phil, and Glenn.

A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, August 25th at 10 AM at Zion Lutheran Church (1070 Foothill Blvd). Her remains will be cremated with half interred next to her husband in SLC and half with her parents in Park City, Montana.

In lieu of flowers the family encourages you attend the celebration and purchase raffle tickets for a Navajo rug, the proceeds of which will benefit youth programs at Zion Lutheran Church.