Ruth Josephine Barton Gatrell

Ruth Josephine Barton Gatrell, age 95, the daughter of Lloyd McArthur Barton and Edna Augusta Cottrell, passed away on September 15, 2017, due to natural causes, in her Farmington home surrounded by her family.  She was born December 23, 1921, in the home of her maternal grandfather, Edward “Ted” Cottrell at 79 North 300 East in Farmington, Utah, the same home in which her mother had been born.  “Josephine” became part of her name to recognize that her birth occurred on the anniversary of Joseph Smith’s birthday.

Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Mt. Pleasant, Utah.

When she was about three years old, the family moved to Salt Lake City and purchased a house on the corner of 1st Avenue and K Street in the 21st Ward, where she spent growing-up school years attending Longfellow Elementary and Bryant Junior High and graduating from East High in 1938.

She graduated cum laude from the University of Utah in 1942 with majors in Music and Biology.  An extremely talented and competent violinist, she was the concertmistress of the University of Utah Symphony for three years and a charter member of the Utah State Symphony, where at one time she was the highest-seated local violinist.

After serving forty-three months in the Pacific area during World War II, Wallace came home in July 1945.  On July 18, 1945, Ruth and Wallace B. Gatrell were married in the Salt Lake Temple by Elder Mark E. Peterson, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an event which was much more unique than a customary temple marriage.  Wallace’s family had been in the Liberty Stake First Ward for many years with the Mark and Emma Peterson family.  Wallace’s mother and Sister Peterson were close friends and served together in the First Ward Relief Society.  When making plans for the marriage, Wallace’s mother requested Sister Peterson to ask Elder Peterson if he would perform the ceremony.  Sister Peterson replied General Authorities were no longer performing marriages, but because of the close family association, perhaps an exception could be made. Thankfully, the exception was made.

As usual during July, the Salt Lake Temple was closed for routine summer cleaning.  Following Elder Peterson’s instructions, Ruth and Wallace received their endowments in the Logan Temple and then traveled to the Salt Lake Temple, where they were admitted into the temple by a caretaker.  The furniture in the temple was covered to protect it from dirt and damage which might occur from the cleaning operation.  At the time, Elder Peterson was the editor of the Deseret News, which had its offices just across the street from the temple.  When Ruth and Wallace were in their temple clothes, the caretaker advised Elder Peterson, and he promptly came to the temple and performed the ceremony.

After marrying Wallace, and as the family grew, Ruth and the family lived in Utah, Washington (twice), Colorado (twice), Alaska, Japan, Germany and Virginia before settling down in Farmington in 1969.

Ruth was a dancer, painter, seamstress, gardener, wildflower photographer, and could identify most plants and insects.  She made and decorated cakes, including wedding cakes.  She taught ballet and tap, and also taught for a year at Bryant Junior High. 

In addition to being a violinist, as a musician she was a teacher, composer, conductor and typesetter with more than a hundred compositions and arrangements to her credit.  She was a four-time winner (two first-place prizes) in the Relief Society song contest.  Several of her numbers were included in the Three Winning Songs for Relief Society Choruses series published by the LDS Church.  She also won first place in the National League of Women Music and in Composers Guild contests, and she also received recognition in contests sponsored by LDS Music, Jackman Music, Southern Songwriters, Intermountain Songwriters, National League of American Pen Women Inc. and Music City Festival.

She organized a choir of about thirty women known as the Ruth Gatrell Singers, which performed her music and other numbers throughout the Wasatch Front at many church, civic and patriotic events, including at Temple Square each Christmas, and annually for the Farmington Performing Arts Committee as Concerts in the Park and Christmas programs.

For more than twenty-five years, she was the president of the Composers Guild, a voluntary non-profit group organized to help composers of all types of music, at any level of endeavor, by providing instructors, classes, workshops, seminars, concerts, showcases and the annual International Composers Guild Composition Contest.  With very little help, she arranged for venues and judges for the contests in addition to composing, printing and distributing newsletters, flyers and posters.  For the International Composition Contest, she personally received, sorted and gave to the judges over two hundred entries that were received from most of the states and from as far away as Australia, France, Canada and England.  Again, after the judge had made his comments, she reassembled the entries, compiled a winners list, arranged for the appropriate certificates and prize checks and personally handled all of the myriad of details involved in outstanding awards concerts.

Ruth was a member of the Farmington Aurelia S. Rogers Camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, served as a Docent at the DUP Museum in Salt Lake City, and composed and wrote the alternate Theme Song for the DUP, “Salute to our Utah Pioneers”.

An ardent and devoted lifetime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she served with distinction in all of the auxiliary organizations as president, counselor, chorister, music director, accompanist and teacher.  For two years, she taught early morning seminary in Virginia.  When overseas, she conducted family Primary in her home for her children and their non-member friends.  In later years, one of the non-member girls from such a Primary held in Heilbronn, Germany, joined the church and was married in the temple.  She credited Ruth’s Primary classes for her conversion.

For twenty plus years, Ruth and her husband served as Church-service missionaries in the Member Locator Section of the Global Service Center, attending their farewell luncheon just one week before her passing.

Ruth is survived by Wallace, her husband of 72 years and seven children: Shawna Dortzbach (Jack) Kaysville; Cloyd (Kathryn) Carlisle, PA; Garth (Cheri) Layton; Aleta Grandy (Paul) Midland, TX; Tammy  Van Tassell (Gene) Salt Lake City; Lance (Laurie) Castle Rock, CO; Quinn (Jenny) Farmington; 45 grandchildren; and 94 great-grandchildren.

Ruth was a remarkable, loving, caring daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.  For four years, she cared for her bedridden mother, Edna C. Barton, who passed away in 1977.  Ruth’s family and friends will miss her dearly.

She is preceded in death by her parents, sisters Helen and Laura Jean, and son Arn (Venita) Salt Lake City.

The family expresses gratitude and thanks to Hearts for Hospice and Home Helpers for the kind and loving care they provided Ruth during her last days.

A viewing will be held on Thursday, September 28, at Russon Farmington Mortuary at 1941 North Main Street, Farmington, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.  Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 29, at 11:00 AM in the Farmington Rock Chapel at 272 South Main Street, Farmington, with a viewing prior from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Interment at Farmington City Cemetery.