Melba Howell Holmes

The world lost an elect lady and bright light on August 11, 2018 at the passing of Melba Howell Holmes.

 Melba was born on June 17, 1929 to Rollo Fern and Bessie Sowby Howell in Garfield, Utah. She married Dee W Holmes on September 11, 1953 in the Salt Lake Temple.  

 Melba lived her life with great enthusiasm and with a total focus on her family, her friends and her faith in God. That focus was rewarded with a remarkable posterity of 92 people that adore her and are following her powerful example of service to one another and to God. She generated a steady stream of handwritten notes filled with deeply personal expressions of love and gratitude that will be sorely missed, and that now become personal scripture to her family and friends.

 Melba was a loyal friend and made many cherished relationships that have endured throughout her lifetime. She found something to appreciate and celebrate in everyone. She loved to serve her neighbors and considered everyone in her life a dear friend whether they were her hairdresser, her next-door neighbor or her bishop. 

 Melba and Dee both loved to have fun. Just a few weeks ago Melba delighted in a helicopter flight over the Salt Lake valley with her children for her 89th birthday. She squealed with delight when she opened the gift. She enjoyed many trips to Lake Powell, Disneyland and BYU games and was always ready to play card and board games – where she would trounce you while maintaining the most angelic smile on her face.

 Melba served faithfully in the church including three full-time missions; in the Northern States Mission where she was among the vanguard of younger sister missionaries and where she met Dee, and in their service together at the Ogden Cannery and also in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission. Her desire to give of herself never wavered. She served in the Ogden Temple and in many other capacities well into her 80’s.

 Before she died Melba specifically asked that everyone be told of her love for her Heavenly Father and for her Savior Jesus Christ. She rejoiced daily in the blessings of the gospel and in the power of the resurrection that unlocked the opportunity for her to live again forever with her beloved family.

 Melba deeply missed her companion and had a fervent desire to be reunited with him and with her parents and others who had gone before. She had no fear of death. Her faith and optimism were summed up in a comment she made the day before she died; “It has been a great long ride…and it’s going to get even better.”

 Melba is survived by her loving and devoted children; Karen Bailey, Sherrie Martineau (Chris), Julie Barfuss (Andy), Douglas Holmes (Erin), and Lisa Pack (Cord); 27 grandchildren and 42 great-grandchildren.  She is preceded in death by her beloved husband; her daughter Heather; her parents; her siblings Don Howell (Lucy) and Grace Mackay (Theron); her in-laws Edgar and Irma Holmes; and grandson Benjamin Barfuss.

 The family wishes to thank the wonderful caregivers at Fairfield Village in Layton and especially Doctor Justin Mansfield who has been an inspired, loving and devoted caregiver and friend for many years.

 A viewing will be held at Russon Brothers Mortuary in Farmington, 1941 North Main Street (Highway 89 Cherry Hill exit) on Thursday, August 16th from 6:30-8:30pm. Services will be held at the Shadow Valley Ward in Ogden, located at 5191 Old Post Road, on Friday, August 17th at 11:30am following a viewing there from 10:00-11:00am. Interment at Farmington City Cemetery.