Maxine Driggs Belnap

Maxine Driggs Belnap passed away on February 19, 2022, at the age of 93.  She was born August 5, 1928, in Driggs, Idaho to Leonard E. Driggs and Angeline Durfee Driggs.  Maxine had wonderful memories of her childhood and the family farm nestled in the beautiful Teton mountains near Moose Creek.  In the winter of 1939, her father caught pneumonia and died leaving her mother a widow with her young children.  Maxine was only 10 years old.  Her mother moved the family to Salt Lake City where she could work as a nurse to support her family.

Maxine graduated from West High School and enrolled in nurses’ training at the Salt Lake General Hospital.  While in nurses’ training, she met her husband, Hal Belnap.  They were married July 17, 1948 and were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple.

In 1951, Maxine and Hal moved to Bountiful, Utah and built the home where they lived for over 71 years until her passing.  They made many friends in the neighborhood and had great memories of those years.

Maxine was deeply religious, and Christ was the center of her life.  She served two full-time missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served a mission for the Church Family History Library.  She faithfully served in many callings in the Ward and Stake that included being in leadership positions, but her favorite callings were those where she was teaching in the classroom where she could share her knowledge of the gospel to those of any age.   Maxine loved the scriptures, studied them diligently, and took every opportunity to listen to the words of the Prophet.

Maxine lived a remarkable life full of selfless service.   She never missed an opportunity to help others and often used her training as a nurse to care for the sick and visit those in need.  Maxine was an avid genealogist.  She saw her ancestors not just as names, but as people who lived, loved, sacrificed, and struggled.  She studied history in detail to understand their lives in context.  Maxine corresponded with anyone who could help in her research.  She willingly shared her knowledge and exchanged information with friends, family, fellow genealogists, authors, professors, and scholars.

Maxine’s greatest love was her family.  She was a very supportive mother to her three children, Sue, Bruce, and Neal.  She was always at their various activities cheering them on. This support was carried on to each generation.  When her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren came to visit, she was delighted to hear what they were doing and remembered the details of each conversation.  Her family brought her great joy.

She could make everyone who interacted with her believe that they were the most important person in her life.  This was not done on purpose, but simply a reflection of her deep compassion.  Maxine loved life.  She had a wonderful and fearless sense of adventure.  Her fun- loving nature was best seen at family activities, at backyard carnivals, boating at Pineview, and on the back of a motorcycle.  Behind her simple, humble lifestyle hid a giant of greatness in every way.

She is preceded in death by her husband Hal R. Belnap, her sisters Betty Gallagher, Glenna Klein, brother Leonard E. Driggs, and great grandchild Cora Belnap. She is survived by her sisters Rose Baxter, Bonnie Thomas, and Leah Adams as well as her children Sue Olson (Ken), Bruce Belnap (Cheryl), and Neal Belnap (Jan) along with 12 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren, and one great- great grandchild.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 4, 2022, at the Bountiful 36^th Ward Chapel, 102 East 1400 South, Bountiful, Utah where a viewing will be held Friday morning from 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. prior to services.  She will be interned at the Bountiful City Cemetery.