Grace Narcissus McNeil

Grace McNeil was born Sept. 2, 1919 to Lorenzo Dixon Black and Jane Mae Ellison Black in Blackfoot, Idaho. Grace left this mortal existence on April 8, 2016 to return to her Heavenly parents, her earthly parents, her beloved daughter, Joyce, her husband Blaine, who had passed 36 years earlier, her sisters and brothers, and other loved ones who preceded her in death. She died in her home in the tender loving care of her son-in-law Lynn and her daughter Carrol Bybee.

Grace moved from Blackfoot, Idaho as a young girl to Salt Lake City. She helped raise and care for her brothers and sisters due to her mother’s ailing health. She was a hard worker, which started young and lasted her entire life. She worked in the laundry before and after school while she attended South High School. She loved to dance, and this is where she met her husband, while he was teaching ballroom dancing. They were married when Grace was 19 years old. They bought a bakery which they called “Mother’s Favorite Cookies” which they owned for 25 years. People still remember and talk about Grace’s delicious pies, cakes, cookies. etc. but especially her bread and bread rolls were the best in the world. She decorated beautiful wedding cakes with gorgeous roses, and made delicious fruit cakes that her family said, “Were better than any they had tasted anywhere.” Her oatmeal cookies were famous and were delivered by Blaine, up and down the Wasatch Front and to the soldiers during World War II.

Joyce was born when Grace was 25 years old and later Carrol joined their family. The girls were cared for with tender-loving care and were a great joy to Grace (as were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, later in her life). After the sale of the bakery, Grace was active at her daughter’s school as PTA President or Vice-President. She ran drives for the Red Cross to help cure polio and other diseases later. She worked as a housekeeper 2 days a week and as a nanny one day a week. She worked early mornings in a laundromat ironing pants, before her husband left for work.
While doing all of this, she managed to care for her family, keep an immaculately clean house, tend a vegetable garden, can fruit, and have hot bread with butter, smelling delicious from the oven, twice a week when the girls came home from school. She was an avid reader and kept up on affairs of the community and the country, promoting her candidates, and helping at poll booths during elections. She was a talented artist which Carrol discovered when she took art in Junior High School. Grace was at every event that took place in her daughter’s lives. When Carrol got married and had her six children; one with severe brain-injury, Grace was there to help. She loved, taught, gave her grandsons her work ethic and shared her example of faith and trust in God. When her husband had a heart attack in 1980, Grace stayed day and night by his side at the hospital until his passing 3 weeks later. She was amazingly strong, brave and spiritually powerful, and showed much trust and faith in her Heavenly Father. When her own mother died in 1982, as she assisted her to her death, Grace’s faith and strength sustained her again. Her family had seen an example of her courage when her brothers died, all but Donald, but as heartache and challenges came her way and to her family; she gave proof that God lives and takes care of us always.

Later she moved in with her Aunt Hazel and cared for her, and then her husband, Uncle Leslie, for years, until their death. When her sister Thelma moved back to Salt Lake City after the death of her husband, Grace moved in with Thelma and she cared for her as her health declined. She saved her life many times and Thelma was able to live until Dec. 2008. Grace was 89 at the time. She also went with her sister, LaReta, to work at her son, Duane’s, law office until the summer of 2012. In 2010 she went to live with her daughter Joyce, after living alone for two years. As Joyce’s health declined, Grace became her care giver as she had done all of her life. In December 2012, Joyce passed away. Her daughter Carrol moved in with Grace to help her, but Grace continued to work in the yard, sweep the stairs, wash and dry the dishes or various other tasks she could complete. Up until the last 2 weeks of her life, she was still folding the laundry, and drying the flatware and pans. She did not know how to stop working. When her heart began to fail her, and she could no longer walk, she decided she was done with this life. Grace spent her entire life wearing her body out, in the unselfish service of others. The greatest legacy she gave her family was her knowledge of God and her never ending faith. The family will be eternally grateful for that knowledge and her example of serving with all of her might, mind and strength.

Now she is happily reunited after 36 years apart from her husband and 3+ years from her cherished daughter, Joyce, and her sisters and other loved ones. Grace is survived by her brother Don Black, her daughter Carrol, her beloved son-in-law, Lynn, (whom she loved as her own son), and 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. She is a valiant, strong lady, who will be missed greatly by everyone who knew her.

The family wishes to thank all at Hearts for Hospice for their help in caring for Grace the last three months of her life. She was especially grateful for Libby, the CNA, who came three times a week and gently cared for her personal needs, as well as everyone else who assisted her at the end of her precious life.

A viewing will be held Friday, April 15, 2016 at Russon Brother’s Mortuary, 295 North Main in Bountiful, Utah, 84010, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, April 16th, at the 19th Ward LDS Chapel, 225 West 500 North, in Salt Lake City, Utah 84103, where a viewing will be held at 9:45 to 10:45 am. prior to services at 11:00 am. Interment will be held at the Bountiful City Cemetery immediately following the services.

A celebration of Grace’s life will be held at the LDS Chapel, (same location as the funeral services) for the family, after the Interment at approximately 2:00 to 4:00 pm.