Moselle Geddes Neumann

Moselle was born on October 24, 1924 in the family home in Portage, Utah. When she was 2, they moved to Banida, Idaho, and she always considered herself an Idaho girl. She attended a two room school house until the age of 10 when the family moved to the big city of Preston, Idaho. Moselle graduated from Utah State University in 1947 with a degree in art and minors in business administration and clothing. After graduation, she taught shorthand and typing at Preston High school while she took care of her younger brother in order to allow her mother to attend college in Moscow, Idaho. She then worked for the Foreign Service at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland. She was an active member of the LDS church, and found many lifelong friendships there. She also became friends with a young man from Utah, Gunter Neumann, who had just been released from his mission in that city. They fell in love as they served with the LDS young men/women in the beautiful city of Bern. They married on June 2, 1954 in the Salt Lake temple following Moselle’s completion of her work abroad at the embassy in Addas Ababa, Ethiopia.

Moselle has the heart of an artist, and wanted to teach art in a junior college. She made the conscious decision to choose raising a family over a career in art, but her children and many others benefited from her talent as she constructed countless visual aids for school projects and church lessons. Moselle often said of her children that she had “6 originals.”

Moselle and Gunter raised their family in Farmington, Utah, and she spent many hours helping her husband with his bakery work. She iced hundreds of wedding cakes, sheet cakes, doughnuts and French pastries. Her skill in art was apparent in the wedding cakes Gunter made. In addition to the bakery, Moselle canned thousands of jars of peaches, pears, cherries, beans, chicken, corn, and jam.

With her husband, she started the tradition of giving doughnuts to trick or treaters which has swelled from giving a few hundred to 1,500 hand cut doughnuts. She also spent countless hours organizing and caring for the thousands of Christmas lights that were used on their enormous outside Christmas tree that became a Farmington tradition.

Moselle will be remembered for her strong work ethic (still gardening at age 90), ‘Life’s just not worth living if you can’t wash the dishes”, ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”, her ‘ticking’ heart (two separate mechanical heart valve replacements), her strong handshakes and hugs, her artwork, her love of all people, and her generosity.

One of Moselle’s greatest strengths was the way she made people feel when they were with her. She saw their best qualities, and chose to disregard their weaknesses, failures, reputation or social status. All were equal to her. She loved them unconditionally, and those who felt that love, loved her in return.

She is survived by her brother (Dee), sister (Lola Mae), children Gregory (Valerie), Jeffery, Musetta (Hal Mortimer), Randall (Kristal), Reid, and Trudy (Timothy Johnson). She has 22 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren who adore her.  Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 12 at 11:00 a.m. with viewing before from 9:30 – 10:30 at the Farmington South Stake Center, 695 South 200 East, Farmington, Utah. Additional viewing Friday, September 11, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 1941 North Main, Farmington, Utah. Interment; Farmington Cemetery.