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In Memory

Linda Vickers (Lamoreaux)

Linda died from cancer on January 6, 2022.

With deep sadness we announce that our beautiful wife, mother, grandmother, and sister, Linda Ann Vickers Lamoreaux, 71, of Salt Lake City, passed away on January 6, 2022, with her family by her side.  She didn’t let the cancer that took her life define her- she fought so hard to the end that most people couldn’t believe she was so ill.  Dad gently walked with her every step of her difficult journey- a heroic example of devotion and tenderness.

Linda was born to the late Vallon and Ruth Vickers on December 16, 1950, in Salt Lake City, Utah.  She graduated from Highland High School in 1969 and received a BS in Sociology from the University of Utah.  She was proud that she went on to nearly complete a master’s degree, but never regretted renouncing it to prioritize her children.  She married the love of her life, Mike Lamoreaux, on March 19, 1981, in the Salt Lake City Temple.  She and dad were blessed with six children, gladly making them the focus of their lives and experiencing the greatest joy in seeing their family expand over the years.

There’s no one word that could describe mom, and it’s a grand secret of the universe how God was able to fit so much spunk, personality, and goodness into such a petite person.  We’ve tried our best to summarize her extraordinary life, personality, and attributes.

At her core she was nurturing, loving, and charitable- she was truly a “kindred spirit.”

As a wife, she steadfastly and creatively supported dad in his entrepreneurship- never complaining during the lean times.  She and dad had many shared hobbies, and together they enjoyed being with friends, traveling, and exemplifying eternal marriage for their family.  

As a mother, she adored her children and made it obvious she considered motherhood her greatest calling in life.  Even with her first three children being boys, she couldn’t understand why people would ask her if she was disappointed to find out the fourth was another boy.  That said, she was overjoyed with the addition of her two daughters.  She never passed up an opportunity to say “I love you.”  Mom meticulously documented her children’s lives in books with pictures, mementos, and personal notes.  She spent countless hours as our number one supporter and fan at every possible game, recital, performance, etc.  She could melt away problems with a hug and a back scratch.  Mom took great care to teach her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren the gospel of Jesus Christ and other keys to a safe, happy, and healthy life.   

As a grandma, she always got down on the floor to play with the grandkids, and nothing gave her more happiness than to “spoil them rotten.” Mom had a gift for making each one of the grandkids feel like the most important person in her world.  She expressed her love for them by sewing quilts, blessing dresses, Halloween costumes, and clothes, and by teaching her older granddaughters to sew.  She insisted on holding the grandbabies as much as she could, despite experiencing great pain as the end of her mortal life approached.  

To all family and friends, she thoughtfully made each birthday and event a big deal down to minute details, and had a gift for making everyone feel welcome and special.  “Once a friend, always a friend” could describe the way she approached all who knew her. Mom loved and adored her 3 siblings and nurtured her relationships with them and their families over the years.  She was also a dutiful and devoted daughter to her parents until their passing in 2000 and 2002. She stayed close to her childhood and college friends, often connecting to reminisce and share life experiences and ideas for helping their families thrive.  Mom treasured lifelong friendships with her Canyon Rim neighbors so much that they stayed in their “starter home” for the rest of her life.  She also loved the friends she made as an assistant librarian at Wasatch Jr. High.  She bonded quickly with the teachers and staff members, and her library was always a refuge for her “lunch-time buddies.”  She graced those halls for nearly 20 years- the work she did was never for the money.  

It was obvious to all who knew her that she took her discipleship of the Savior very seriously through selfless service and humble action.  

She was a proud, lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a testimony that could equal those of her rugged pioneer ancestors.  She loved serving in the church without need of recognition and had many callings over the years including nursery leader, primary/Sunday school/Relief Society teacher, Young Women’s advisor, young single adult leader, bishop’s wife, and stake Relief Society president in one of the largest stakes in the church (13 wards and over 5,000 members).  So many have expressed to us the depth of her influence- those she served and those with whom she served were such an important part of her life.  

You couldn't enter her home without observing the joy she felt for her missionary husband and sons, whose farewell pictures have been on full display in her living room for over 20 years.  She also had a great love for the temple and temple work, attending until just a few weeks before she passed away.  

Mom was an example of a true Christian, as she tried in everyday life to be loving, real, present, peacemaking, and nonjudgmental to those blessed to cross her path.

Mom was creative, smart, and wise.  

Nearly every day she made lemonade out of lemons and something out of what appeared to be nothing.  Examples include convincing her kids that ice water was “vanilla punch” and graham crackers were cookies, sewing/tailoring clothes for many occasions, and making every holiday magical and memorable- especially Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with cherished decorations and handmade figurines, ornaments, quilts, and wreaths.  She pushed herself to the limit to make this last Christmas the greatest ever for everyone in the family.  

She had the gift of always knowing what to say, and when to simply listen, no matter the age or level of the person she was talking with, and was always a trusted source for sage advice.  

She had her own silly vocabulary, inspired by her childhood and things her kids would say, for terms of endearment and for describing everyday things.  For example, if something was “stinkin’” it meant she didn’t like it, dad was “Fred Fernartner,” Todd was “T-Buckaroo,” Brett was “Brettski-Bibbles,” Eric was “Eric-ity-bick,” the boys were “the buddies,” Lindsay was “Lina-bugga-bick-back-boo,” Leslie was “Lelie-Lou,” the kitchen was the “chicken,” and tickling was referred to as “finding your gizzard.” She also said “seat belt seat belt double beat belt” when we needed to buckle up, “zip-zap-zoop” meant it was time to hurry out the door, and trash was thrown away in the “wrappage.”

Mom was hilariously funny and always the life of the party.  

She could joke and banter with anyone at any age, and loved playing pranks, especially on her young women girls.  Mom had a great sense of humor and an infectious laugh.  She loved music and had an amazing gift for memorizing lyrics.  There is no oldies song (50s, 60s, 70s) she doesn’t know every word to, as we’ve tried many times to stump her.  

Many have described her as “young at heart,” and she really was always up for anything with family and friends.  She also loved shopping (a borderline addiction that taught dad all about patience) and refined her skills over the years as a master bargain hunter and yard saler.  If there’s a TJ Maxx in heaven, she’s already been there at least twice.

Mom was very proud of her national and family heritage.  

She was a freedom-cherishing American patriot and the progeny of brave and fearless pioneers.  She loved learning about their stories and from them she inherited a can-do, almost stubborn attitude that manifested itself in mostly positive ways.  

Mom was accomplished.

Before marrying dad, she shattered a glass ceiling by becoming one of the first female executive analysts for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Her career was very promising, and she was extremely proud of her achievements.  After marrying dad, she chose to leave her profession along with education advancement to begin a family.  Mom felt strongly it was a privilege to be a full-time mother for her children.

As a homemaker, she was also an ambitious entrepreneur.  A few of her achievements included creating and growing the Sweet Saks diaper bag line, creating and selling thousands of crafts in local boutiques, and creating a board game to teach children proper manners.

She’s been described by many as timeless-possessing impeccable taste, excellent etiquette, beautiful penmanship and calligraphy, and near-perfect grammar.  She was a graceful woman who fully embraced her very feminine nature.

She was an amazing gardener and always worked hard to make her yard a beautiful haven for her home and family.  It was very difficult for her to let it go over the last year.

Finally, mom put us to shame with her lifelong focus on health and fitness.  So many have benefited from going on walks with Linda.  To the end, she was dedicated to using every healthy means available to try to prolong her life on earth.  She couldn’t bear the thought of not being healthy enough to enjoy life with her precious family, or of having to leave us behind.

She is survived by her husband Mike and six children: Todd (Lindsey); Brett (Karin); Eric (Sarah); Scott (Elyse); Leslie; and Lindsay (Jacob) Kunzler.  She is also survived by her brother Don (Marilyn) Vickers; sister Joan (Doug) Wadsworth; brother Jerry (Leslie) Vickers; 15 grandchildren with one on the way she promised to deliver from the other side.

Our family would like to extend our special thanks to the many dear friends in Mom’s neighborhood and ward for their kindness and support.  We would also like to express our gratitude to Christine Hayes of Suncrest Home Hospice for her loving, tender care of Linda.

Please join us in celebrating her beautiful life.  A viewing will be held on Friday, January 14, 2022 at 6 p.m. at the Salt Lake Canyon Rim Stake Center, located at 3051 South 2900 East Salt Lake City, UT 84109.  The funeral service will be held Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 11 a.m. at the same location, prior to which there will be another viewing at 9:30 a.m.  The funeral will also be live streamed at the following link: http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/saltlakecanyonrimstake 

Services will also be available to view at Holbrookmortuary.com, look for Linda’s picture under “Recent Obituaries,” click on the view window at the bottom of her obituary.

Interment will be at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, located at 3401 South Highland Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84106 immediately following the funeral service.

https://www.holbrookmortuary.com/obituary/Linda-Lamoreaux

 
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01/19/22 09:15 AM #1    

Charlene Hough (Albertson)

sad to hear about Linda's passing. What a legacy she has left behind.


01/19/22 12:15 PM #2    

Bonnie L. Hencley (Fulton)

I'm sorry to hear this news. What a beautiful tribute, and what a lasting legacy she leaves the world.


01/19/22 01:32 PM #3    

Rick Sutter

Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same. That is the case especially with our Highland High friends, for we are ununiquely connected by our wonderful association, one with another as fellow Highlanders. Linda will be missed for the moment, for death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity, and we will meet again. . . .


01/19/22 04:49 PM #4    

John Cottam

Always said to lose one of us.  I so appreciate the wonderful, beautiful obituary. Linda had a life well lived.


01/20/22 10:59 AM #5    

Liz Engar (Warner)

So sad to lose Linda. She was lovely in every way. My heart hurts to learn of the passing of classmates. Love to you all--we're all part of each other. 


01/20/22 12:24 PM #6    

Mike K. Richards

Very saddened to learn we've lost another classmate. I fully agree with you Liz, Rick, John, and others. A beautiful tribute to a beautiful classy lady, and what a wonderful life she had, and shared with her husband, children, family and friends, and with all of us. Bless her heart, and rest in peace.

01/21/22 06:39 PM #7    

Linda Adams (DeVore)

I'm sorry to hear that we've lost another classmate. What wonderful tribute to her. My condolences to her family.


01/22/22 06:16 PM #8    

Elaine Broadbent (Tschaggeny)

So sad to say goodbye for now, to my dear friend Linda Vickers Lamoreaux! We have been friends since I was 12 years old and moved from California to Logan Avenue across the street from Linda. We have been making fond memories ever since. Her attitude about life and death was just amazing. Even though she knew the time of her passing drew near, she kept saying, "It's all good!" She has a wonderful husband and family. What a beautiful tribute they wrote about her. I look forward to seeing her again someday. I guess we are starting to gather on the other side. Let's have some reunions there! I love Linda and you friends from Highland High School's class of 1969! 


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