Barbara Jayne England Manfull

On December 5, 2022, the Country Roads took Barbara Jayne England Manfull home, to the ‘place where she belongs’. Born July 16^th, 1939, in Logan UT, she was the first child of James Warren England and Afton Leishman Nielsen. Her formative years were spent between her parent’s home in Logan, and the family farm in Hyrum UT where she was reared and molded by wonderful Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles. She loved drinking milk fresh from the cow, riding horses, swimming in the creeks, fomenting mischief with younger cousins and of course, her Grandma Marvilla Nielsen’s delicious home cooked fare. As a child, she also survived a brush with rheumatic fever.

During her teen years, Barbara’s parents relocated to Bountiful UT where she attended Bountiful High School. Her artistic talent began flourishing at this time as she was commissioned to design the artwork for the school Marquee. She was also active in student government, academics, art, and built many lasting friendships with numerous classmates. After graduation, she enrolled at the University of Utah where she was accepted into the Chi Omega Sorority. Majoring in Art and Elementary Education, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1961. That same year, she met and married her eternal companion, Jesse Dee Manfull in the Logan LDS Temple. They settled in Bountiful where she began teaching 3^rd and 4^th grade at J.A. Taylor Elementary School. In 1965, she paused her teaching career to begin rearing a family. Mother to 4 children, tragedy struck in 1973 when her youngest child, McKay was taken from our family. This terrible event almost took Barbara to the breaking point, but with God’s help, she was able to pass through the resulting grief and trauma, with greater strength and fortitude. In 1976 she chose to resume her teaching career at Meadowbrook Elementary School. She thrived there, positively influencing the lives of hundreds of students and colleagues over the next 3 decades.

In 2003 she retired and embarked with her companion on a 1-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Native Americans of Tuba City Arizona, continuing her love of teaching and serving. Barbara remained stalwart in her Faith in God and in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her last breath! She served in many callings, her favorite being Stake Camp Director.

Barbara had a great love for the outdoors, especially the red rock country of the Desert Southwest. She also enjoyed snow and waterskiing, boating, camping and long road trips with her beloved Fifth Wheel trailer, all with her favorite singer, John Denver providing the soundtrack for these adventures. Barbara had a great zest for life, including a sense of humor for the ages – laughing at everything, mostly her own mishaps.

Another of Barbara’s great loves was family history, reveling in her British and Scandinavian heritage. She delved into the stories of her progenitors, the Nielsen’s of Denmark, the Leishman’s, and Cameron Clan of Scotland; the Berntsen’s of Sweden and of course, her namesake, the ‘England’s of Norfolk England. In the late 1990’s, she undertook an extensive tour of those lands, even finding and visiting the original home of an ancestor in Denmark.

Perhaps Barbara’s greatest love was Art and being an Artist. She painted numerous beautiful characters, landscapes, and stories over her lifespan, greatly enriching the lives of others. In her final years, she provided artistic service to the Bountiful Historical society, contributing her own talent, and refurbishing historic depictions of life in Bountiful.

Barbara is preceded in death by her son McKay, her parents James and Afton England, and her husband Jesse Manfull. She is survived by her children Merrill (Jill Miles), Matthew (Jill Ashby), and Melanie (Adam Reeves), 12 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

Funeral Services will be held Friday, December 9^th at the Bountiful Utah East Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (650 East 2150 South, Bountiful UT). Services begin at 11:00 AM. A viewing will be held the evening of Thursday, December the 8^th at Russon Mortuary (295 N Main St, Bountiful, UT) from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM and from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM on Friday at the aforementioned Funeral Service location.

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and on this obituary page.  The live stream will begin about 10-15 minutes prior to the service and will be posted below.