DeLores Miles Abernethy

DeLores (Dee) Miles Abernethy, 95, passed away due to the complications of old age. She was born in Salt Lake City to Adolphus Rennie Miles and Luella Maude Farnworth. She grew up in South Salt Lake and was a proud graduate of Granite High School. She loved being a Granite Farmer and performing in the school operetta.

Dee worked in a number of jobs, including working as an usherette at the Studio Theater during WWII. One of her favorite positions was working at KPRQ, a Top 40 music station, in Murray, Utah. She retired as an executive secretary at Deseret Mutual Benefit Association and was a proud member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers for nearly 60 years.

Dee was the model of unconditional love, service, and humor. She loved driving fast cars, opening Christmas presents early, playing cards, drinking daily diet cokes, and laughing with friends and family. She was sassy, funny, and caring to the end.

Dee, and her husband Fred Edward Abernethy were married for 66 years. Their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake City Temple. When they were first married, they worked all across the U.S. following ironworker jobs and lived in a small trailer that they pulled behind their car. She finally declared it was time to settle down somewhere and they bought their first home in 1957 in Granger near their final resting place.

She was always dad’s partner as he served in the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Posse and the National Pony Express Association. Dad would write comedy news articles for the Pony Express and mom would edit out most of the saltier parts. They were quite the team. They made everyone feel loved and welcomed. Laughter and story-telling were the common currency at nightly dinners and family get-togethers.

She is survived by her sister, Shauna Miles Meyer of Sandy, Utah. She is preceded in death by husband Fred, son Mark, and daughter Marsha. She is survived by two sons, Miles (Becky) Abernethy of Gilbert, Arizona and Gene (Danalee) Abernethy of Prescott, Arizona. At the time of her death, she had 11 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. She has been the anchor and light to our family and will be sorely missed.

There will be a simple service on Saturday, August 9th at 1:00 pm at the Valley View Memorial Funeral Home chapel, in West Valley City, and she will be buried at Valley View Memorial beside her husband, son, and daughter. The service will be live-streamed and saved on the Valley View website. There will be an immediate family gathering at 12:00 and again after the internment.