Audrey Bowers Arthur

Audrey Marie Bowers Arthur 1920 2011

Audrey Marie Bowers Arthur, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully in South Jordan, Utah, on August 12, 2011. Audrey was born September 12, 1920, to Charles Ernest Bowers and Vera Marie Chamberlin in Salt Lake City, Utah. She grew up with a sister Jeanette Ruth Bowers Jarvis, and a brother, Joseph Harry Bowers (Simi Valley, CA) who remained close throughout her life. During her early years the Bowers family moved to Ocean Park, California where they lived for four years. When they returned to Salt Lake family togetherness, outings and camping trips were a highlight of her life.

Audrey graduated from East High School and then went on to study at the University of Utah, graduating with a major in Art Education in 1948. She was a member of Lambda Delta Sigma and made cherished and life-long friends. This remarkable group of women formed what became known as the sewing club which met together every two weeks for more than 65 years.

Audrey served her first mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the North Central States Mission. She met her eternal companion Edward Eldredge Arthur when she was assigned to serve in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Ted and Audrey married in the Salt Lake Temple on November 12, 1943. Their love flourished for over 56 years. They were blessed with eight children, 21 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren. Her family was her crowning achievement and her greatest joy.

Mom loved spending time with her family and grandchildren, looked forward to family home evenings, and delighted in family reunions. She took great satisfaction in the successes and accomplishments of her family and was always an encouraging presence, an instiller of confidence, and an inspiration for success. She was an avid fan of her childrens and grandchildrens activities, and proudly supported countless music recitals, dance performances, school plays, and art exhibits.

Mom was a talented artist and her oil paintings and watercolors graced her home and the homes of her family. She taught art classes in her home for a number of years and took great satisfaction in the continuing successes of her many students. Mom was a talented seamstress sewing her four daughters wardrobes and costumes. She was adept at creating beauty, making a gracious home and enjoyed the beauty of her garden. She was an insatiable reader until the date of her passing. Commencing in 1966 genealogy became her passion and she immersed herself in linking together her ancestors and recording her family history.

Audrey loved the Lord and had a fervent and unimpeachable testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She served actively in leadership positions in her ward and stake auxiliaries for many years. Audrey was a gospel scholar and embraced teaching the gospel and sharing her testimony. She taught in each auxiliary and was a respected early morning seminary teacher. Audrey served for more than five years as a tour guide on Temple Square, a calling that she loved, as she valiantly embraced any opportunity to share the Gospel. Audrey spent her life in service to her family and others leaving her family with a legacy of love and service.

A highlight of Mother and Dads retirement years was finding the joy in serving together as senior missionaries in Lake Arrowhead, California (San Bernardino Mission). Many lives were blessed by the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She will be remembered for her kindness and sweet disposition and the joy she brought into the lives she touched. The family rejoices in her graduation for a life well lived. She is now released from many health challenges and infirmities of age and is joyfully reunited with her sweetheart husband, infant son, parents, and extended family who surely celebrate their reunion. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Edward Eldredge Arthur; infant son Edward Bowers Arthur and her parents. She is survived by her children Kaye Arthur, Karen Arthur, Clayne (Suzanne) Arthur, Ronald (Lorrie Ann) Arthur, Beverly Wilhelm; Robert (Sherry) Arthur; and Julie (Dennis) Olson of Lake Orion, Michigan.

The family would like to thank her devoted caregivers and the dedicated staff at Alta Ridge Alzheimers Care Center for their extraordinary and compassionate service to our Mom. A special acknowledgement to her wonderful hospice nurses. We find peace in the knowledge that she is now free of the illnesses and infirmities she endured without complaint for so many years.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, August 17, 2011, at 1:00 p.m., the Foothill 7th Ward, 2215 East Roosevelt Ave (1460 South) Salt Lake City, Utah. Friends may call on Tuesday, August 16, 2011, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the ward, and prior to the services from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Burial will follow at the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Services under the direction of Russon Brothers Salt Lake Mortuary, online guestbook available at www.russonmortuary.com.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions to the L.D.S. Church Missionary Fund.