Esther Schmidt Cook Adovnik

On June 5th, 2017, our dear mother peacefully passed away due to complications related to a stroke.   At the time of her passing, she was surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  She was born on October 12, 1928, in Salt Lake City to Kurt Waldemar Schmidt and Else Klara Heimann.  She was the youngest of 6 children and attended South High School.  Following high school, she met Charles Henry Cook, fell in love, and after 6 weeks of courtship, they were married June 26, 1948.  In 1963, their marriage was sealed in the Salt Lake Temple.  Esther and Chuck enjoyed 50 wonderful years together and were blessed with five beautiful children.

Esther enjoyed listening to music and playing the piano.  She also loved the outdoors camping and taking drives in the mountains.  Her favorite camping spot with the family was Moon Lake.  She was an avid Utah Jazz fan and rarely missed watching the games on TV; it was always fun to join her in her home to cheer on the Jazz while eating chips and her homemade salsa.

Family was mom's life support; her door was always open to everyone. Every phone call and visit brought a smile to her face and brightened her day, along with those she visited with.

Her favorite holidays were Thanksgiving and Christmas because it meant the family would always be together.  For over 40 years, Esther made sure Thanksgiving dinner at her house was a standing invitation to all the family.  Christmas time was no different.  She made sure there was always plenty to eat, fun games, cheerful music, and a surprise visit from Santa.  

Esther had a deep love for the gospel and extended unconditional love and service to everyone she met.  She served four years with her husband, Chuck as a temple worker in the Salt Lake Temple.   Her favorite calling was working with the young women in her ward.  While in her 60's, she was called as Young Women's President and was loved by all the youth she served.

After the death of her husband in 1998, Esther remained single for 11 years before meeting and marrying Henry Adovnik in 2009, at the age of 80.   They both brought such joy and happiness to each other and loved taking care of one another.   Their favorite pastime was either watching Netflix movies until 3 am, cheering for the Utah Jazz, shopping at Costco, or traveling along the Oregon coast.  Before her passing, Esther and Henry had 8 ½ wonderful years together.

Esther is survived by her second husband, Henry, 5 children– Randy (Lorraine), Debbie (Lance), Daryl (Berna Marie) LuAnn (Mark), and Brad (Trudy), 19 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren.

Special thanks to the University Hospital, Neuro Critical Care Unit (NCCU) staff for their wonderful care and support. They were amazing.

Viewing will be held Sunday, June 11th, from 6-8 pm, at Russon Mortuary, 295 N. Main Street, Bountiful, UT.   Funeral Services will be held Monday, June 12th, at the Bountiful 22nd Ward building, 990 N. 100 West, Bountiful, UT, at 11 am, where a viewing will be held prior to services from 9:45-10:45am. Interment at Memorial Lakeview Cemetery.