Rae Willoughby

4/23/35-1/10/15
Our beautiful mother Rae slipped away peacefully after a short illness, with her family around her. Rae lived with Parkinson’s disease for more than ten years. Her testimony and positive spirit in the face of much adversity are a priceless legacy to those she leaves behind.
Rae was born in Magrath, Alberta, Canada on April 23, 1935, to Kirtland Goddard and Vivian Sheppard Woolley. She graduated from the University of Utah in 1957, with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education. She loved literature and was a published poet. Rae was an elementary school teacher and continued to help children read as a “grandmother helper” after she retired. She and her first husband C. Robert (Bob) Whited were married 29 years and traveled with the U.S. Air Force for 10 years. They raised eight children on a small farm in Orem, Utah. Rae and her second husband, Jesse Willoughby, owned and operated an advertising business “Welcome Utah,” for 15 years. She adored Jesse and they were very happily married for 18 years.
Rae had unwavering faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ and served in many callings. She especially loved serving in the Relief Society, leading the music, and being a stake missionary. She was awarded Mother of the Year in Davis County in 2010 for her remarkable love of all children. Rae lived all over the U.S. and made lifelong friends wherever she went, but her heart always belonged to Utah and she loved living in Bountiful, where she was raised.
Rae is survived by her many children and stepchildren and her brother Kent Woolley, and sister Ann Graham. She has 45 grandchildren with her first great-grandchild on the way. She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother Craig Woolley, her husband Jesse, her step-son Terry, and her sons Roger and Larry Whited.
Funeral services will be held this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Orchard 2nd Ward, 3707 S. 800 W, Bountiful, Utah. A viewing will be held prior to the services from 12:45-1:45 p.m., and on Friday evening from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Russon Brothers Mortuary in Bountiful. Online guestbook at www.russonmortuary.com