Marion Ruth Turpin

Marion was born February 12, 1928, at LDS Hospital to immigrant parents Oswald and Elfriede Vieweg. Elfriede was stalwart and hardworking, a seamstress who ran a drapery making business out of the basement. Oswald was a barber - a good friend, devoted to his children. Her parents were LDS converts and sponsored many German families who wanted to settle in Utah. She would often say that, with her older brother Roland and younger siblings Gerald and Carol, she had a wonderful childhood.

As a teen, she was fun, flirty, and talented, with no shortage of friends, boyfriends, or sewing awards. She was beautiful, and modeled occasionally - they would pay with silk stockings, an enviable commodity for a woman in wartime. One summer day in 1946, while walking on 2100 South with some girlfriends, a carload of sailors cruised by. The most handsome one stopped to talk to her. "He wasn't very tall", she would later say, "But I liked the way he kissed me." In January 1947, Marion and Randall J. Turpin eloped to the Wee Kirk o'the Heather Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. He called her Ruth; she called him Turp. They were married for 58 years, "more good than bad". In 1966, with all of their children, they were sealed together in the Salt Lake Temple. At the most difficult times in her life, she was comforted by her faith in the Plan of Salvation and eternal families.

She loved being a mother. Her oldest, Randall Scott, was born in November 1947, followed by Susan Rolene in 1951, Jeffrey Lee in 1956, and Lisa Anne in 1961. She once said she would have had 10 children if God had let her - instead, God gave her 32 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This was still not enough children in her life, so she served in the Primary of the Winder 6th Ward with her husband for over a decade. Wherever she went, she stopped to talk to babies, and would tell the parents "This is such a beautiful child", even if it wasn't - to her, all children truly were beautiful.

In her life, she had no grand ambitions (other than a good wardrobe - "There are so many pretty things in the world." "But Grandma, you can't own them all." "Oh, but you can try.") She worked at Valley Bank for ~20 years, thoroughly enjoying the friends she made. Sometimes she said that she would have liked to have travelled, or got an education, but for the most part was content staying close to home with her sewing machine, her flower garden, a Jazz game on the TV, and her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, neighbor children, and any children who happened to be walking by. Her devotion to her grandchildren was legendary. With Grandpa Turp, they never missed a dance performance, piano recital, soccer game, cheer competition, graduation, wedding, or birth. Holidays were loud - a house full of food and games. Grandma's house was the best, and each of her grandchildren is convinced they were her favorite.

That was her true talent in life, her ability to love so many people, so completely, so effortlessly. For her, love was a verb - what you do, what you show, how you treat others, how you walk through their lives. She leaves behind three generations that she taught how to love like this. There is no greater legacy than that.

She is preceded in death by her parents and brothers, her husband Turp, her son Scott and granddaughter Nicole. She is survived by her sister Carol Van Roosendaal, her children Susan Tolman (Mitchell), Jeff Turpin (Stacey), Lisa Redford (Rick), daughter-in-law Debby Turpin (Scott), 16 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. The viewing will be Sunday, July 19th, 5-7 p.m., at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Garden. Funeral Services will be Monday July 20th, 12 p.m., at the Winder 6th ward (4366 S 1500 E), with viewing at 11 a.m.

We would especially like to thank Marion's caregivers, especially Linda Thompson and the staff at Carrington Court. We are deeply grateful for your efforts to ease our burden and hers these last few difficult months.