CYRIL BRUCE RUSSELL

  

Cyril Bruce Russell

Listen to Obituary

Cyril Bruce Russell passed away on June 14, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family. He lived a life defined by hard work, quiet service, steadfast faith, and deep devotion to those he loved.

Bruce was born on July 16, 1942, in Hurricane, Utah, and was the youngest of nine children. He spent his childhood in Mills, Utah, where he developed a strong work ethic and a love for agriculture while helping on the family farm. He often shared stories of growing up without indoor plumbing, riding his beloved horse Sweetie Pie, and embracing the simple joys and responsibilities of rural life. Those early experiences shaped the values of perseverance, humility, and service that guided him throughout his life.

He was the first in his family to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He served in London, England and loved to tell the story of coming home on the famed QE2 ocean liner.

He married his beloved sweetheart, Karen Christensen, on September 11, 1964, and together they built a loving family while pursuing opportunities that took them across the western United States and even to Samoa, where Bruce taught school and formed lifelong friendships.

He was profoundly affected by the devastating loss of Karen, who passed away from breast cancer at the age of 46. Following her passing, he stepped up to the challenge of the responsibility of raising 7 children with grace and love.

Later in life, he married Dona Elizabeth Brady on September 5, 2004, excited to start another chapter.

Bruce found joy in spending time with family and serving others. He dedicated his career to teaching math, science, and agriculture, inspiring countless students through both the classroom and the Future Farmers of America program. After retiring, he continued to devote his time to the farm and his faith, serving in the Manti Temple and later, alongside Dona, faithfully fulfilling a mission in Des Moines, Iowa, beginning in 2016.

Bruce will be remembered for his strength, unwavering faith, generous heart, and the lasting influence he had on generations of family and friends. His example of kindness, dedication, and quiet discipleship leaves a legacy that will continue to bless those who knew and loved him.

Bruce was preceded in death by his first wife, Karen Christensen; his parents, Ellis and Estella Russell; his siblings Loral, Lucille, Collins, Zona, Dale, Linda, and Annita; and his stepson, John Brady.

He is survived by his wife, Dona Russell; his children: Nola (David) Graham, Chalyece (Randy) Shelley, Shana (Tony) Blackham, Casey (Connie) Russell, Chantel (Michael) Stauffer, Randon (Jessica) Russell, and Niesha (Zack) Peterson; his stepchildren: Donald (Erin) Brady, and Lily, Galen and Katie Brady; his 24 grandchildren; his 16 great-grandchildren; and his sister, Rayola (Lanis) Alligood.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the LDS meetinghouse located at 49 South State Street, Mt. Pleasant, Utah. A viewing will be held prior to the service from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Interment will take place following the service at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.

To Watch Recorded Funeral Service, Click Here

To Watch Recorded Graveside Service, Click Here

 

David Larsen Hafen

Oct 23, 1938 — Sep 11, 2025

Walla Walla, WA

Listen to Obituary

David Larsen Hafen, 86, passed away peacefully on September 11, 2025, surrounded by his loving wife and children after a brief battle with injuries following a recent car accident.

Born October 23, 1938, in Mt. Pleasant, UT, to Jay and Ruby Hafen, he was the youngest of three children. He spent his youth working on his family farm, shepherding sheep in the mountains during the summer, and was a talented high school athlete. He attended Snow College in Ephraim, UT, before beginning his career in the insurance industry. He also served in the Utah National Guard.

He married his high school sweetheart, Carolyn Blain, and they were blessed to celebrate their 68th anniversary together, encircled by family, four days before his passing. Together, they built a life filled with love, service, and faith. Family was always their highest priority, and they were blessed to welcome eight children into their home along with twenty-three grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

Dave built a successful career in the insurance industry in the Walla Walla community, spending the majority of his career as an insurance broker at McDonald Zaring Insurance (MZI) in Walla Walla.

Faith was always at the center of Dave’s life. He was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in numerous capacities and leadership positions. He and Carolyn served a church mission on the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, AZ. He was privileged to be chosen as the first stake president of the newly formed Walla Walla Stake. Countless individuals over the years were blessed by his counsel, compassion, and charity. Anyone ever interacting with Dave never left their encounter without being warmly greeted and hugged. He will be remembered for his warmth, humility, and the way he made everyone feel welcome in his presence. Truly, he was a friend and servant to all.

Dave is survived by his wife, Carolyn; daughters, Cathy (Phil) of Fall City, WA, Kimberly (Mike) of Queen Creek, AZ, and Nikol of Salt Lake City, UT; and sons, Robert (Lura), Brad (Deirdre), and Ky (Tambri) all of Walla Walla; twenty-three grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Mary, his brother Bill, two dear children, Mark and Allison, and his granddaughter Tia.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 AM on his birthday, Thursday, October 23, 2025, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 1821 S Second Ave in Walla Walla. He will be interred at the Mt. Pleasant City Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant, UT Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Church General Missionary Fund and the Navajo United Way in Window Rock.

The family would like to thank the caring staff at Providence St. Mary Medical Center for all their professional care and personal touches. They also appreciate the outpouring of love from family, friends, and the community.

To Watch Recorded Funeral Service, Click Here. 

Recordings will be available for 90 days from date of servic

 

LuDene A. Hamilton

Oct 6, 1931 — Jul 1, 2026

Milburn

Listen to Obituary

LuDene Amundsen Hamilton passed away peacefully on July 1, 2026. Her cause of death in the best of medical opinions was TMB. (Too Many Birthdays) She was born in Fairview, Utah October 6, 1931 to the kindest and most loving parents, Whitford Leroy Amundsen and Verda Christena Anderson. She was raised with friends and cousins on Canyon Road with all the freedom of Fairview in the 30’s and 40’s. LuDene spent 53 years married to her childhood sweetheart, best friend and adventure companion, William Maurice Hamilton. She was heartbroken when he passed away in 2003. She resolved to enjoy life and she spent her time entertaining friends, traveling as much as possible and checking items off her bucket list including skydiving at 87 years old. The farm in Milburn was always her favorite place on earth and her proper edge of the sky. Deer Season, Winter and Christmas were her favorite holidays. LuDene spent more than thirty years working for First Security Bank in Sanpete and Utah Counties. She made old friendships last a lifetime and new friends were as precious as the old ones. Many will miss her meals, happy hours and her extraordinary hostess skills.

LuDene is survived by her three children, William Layne Hamilton, Susan (Glen) Flory and LuAnn Greenwell, six grandchildren, Matt, Jason, Dan (Janelle), Jared, Monica and Bradley (Margot), seven great grandchildren, Chris, Alex, Anna, Eric, Deanne, Grace and Finley and brother Wynn L Amundsen.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, son in law, Jeff Greenwell, grandparents Oscar and Hettie Amundsen, Outney and Sylvia Anderson, many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins and too many dear friends.

A brief memorial service will be held Friday, July 10, 2026 at 11 am at Rasmussen Mortuary in Mt Pleasant, Utah. Visitation is encouraged from 9:30 am to 11 am. Interment following the service at Fairview City upper cemetery.

Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. You will never be out of our hearts.

To Watch Services Live Click Here. The Live Zoom Link will Activate at 10:45 a.m. MST prior to services. 

DIXON JOHN FARLEY

 

 

Dixon John Farley

April 23, 2010 — May 5, 2026

Mount Pleasant

Listen to Obituary

Dixon John (DJ) Farley, of Mount Pleasant, Utah passed away in his family’s arms on May 5, 2026 at Primary Children’s Hospital. He was born April 23, 2010 in Nephi, Utah. Dixon suffered from a severe genetic form of epilepsy starting when he was 4 years old. Dixon always wanted to be a superhero and with the gift of his organs being donated to and gratefully received by others, his life will go on. We hope they are ready to be superheroes too, because Dixon has always been a superhero. From the time he was a toddler, he could pick out people who needed his superhero hugs. He would insist that complete strangers would let him hug them, and you could just watch the stress and worry and anxiety leave their bodies. He gave us that gift up to his final breath. THAT, is a true superhero!

Most people didn’t understand the depth of Dixon’s intelligence and personality. He was a prankster and loved jokes, but he was also a very deep thinker. He didn't just blindly believe what he saw or read — he questioned everything with adults whom he trusted and then formed his own belief system and understanding of life and beyond. Even though Dixon was often bullied, ignored or just misunderstood, he never held a grudge against anyone. He was a living example of turning the other cheek. He enjoyed hanging out with his cousin, Payton Johansen; they were like brothers. He adored his cousin John Wayne Oldroyd and looked forward to spending time with him during school holidays. Dixon was comfortable at home, but he liked spending time camping with his family, hiking and going fast with his dad in the side-by-side and riding and grooming horses with his mom. Being a typical little brother, he delighted in pushing his sister Dannie’s buttons but he knew that she would always have his back. He always had a project to keep the adults in his life busy creating and building things with him. Dixon’s honorary Uncle Colter and Auntie Teasha spent much quality time with him hanging out doing everything from playing video games to ghost hunting in the cemetery after dark.

Dixon’s epilepsy made him think more deeply and respond more slowly than many of his peers. Luckily, his first teacher was “Miss Debbie” at Head Start, who was patient and caring and taught him in a way which he understood and she wasn’t afraid of hugging him. Tara Syme was the only one of Dixon’s teachers in middle school who allowed him to learn at his own pace and she taught him to love history. Dixon finally came into his own in high school. Cami Christensen and her SPED team finally gave Dixon an educational home with expectations, boundaries and the opportunity to learn at the highest level he was capable of. He felt secure in this environment — he made friends, he participated in sports, he was invited to the Preference Dance and was great friends with Boston Toomey, who always treated him as just one of the guys.

Dixon is survived by and will always be cherished by his family: his mother, Sydnie Farley; his father, Seth Farley; his sister, Dannie Farley; and his grandparents, Danny and Marles Oldroyd and Dixon and Beverly Farley. Dixon is also survived by his uncles, Justin Farley and his wife Stacy, Weston Farley and his wife Savannah, and John Oldroyd and his wife Jo; as well as his aunties, Amanda Alejandro and her husband Vic, Donnell Johansen and her husband Ben, and Megan Jessop and her husband Samuel, and a wealth of cousins. During his time in the ICU, Dixon was surrounded by his grandparents and his many aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides of the family. This outpouring of love, support, and kindness is an ongoing gift to the family.

Memorial Services were held on Saturday, June 6th at 1:00 pm at the Wasatch Academy Music Conservatory (formerly the First Presbyterian Church), which is located at 92 South 100 West in Mount Pleasant, Utah.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, please donate to:

Donor Connect at (801) 521.1755 Info@donorconnect.life OR

The Epilepsy Foundation of Utah (801) 332-1000

To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit our flower store.

KERRY VERGE DEUEL

 

 

 

 

Helen Irene Sorensen

December 15, 1943 — April 9, 2026

Mt. Pleasant

Listen to Obituary

Helen Irene Sorensen, 82, of Mount Pleasant, passed away April 9, 2026, at home with family nearby-just the way she would have wanted it.

Helen was born on December 15, 1943, in Mount Pleasant, Utah, to Wesley and Verla Marx. She spent most of her life right here in Sanpete Valley, where she built a life defined by grit, humor, and a level of stubbornness that anyone from this valley would recognize immediately. Once Helen made up her mind, there wasn't much point arguing-but if you did, she'd probably enjoy that too.

She had a knack for keeping her hands busy and her mind sharp. Whether it was diamond painting, counted cross-stitch, or crochet, Helen was always working on something. She was tough to beat at cribbage or chicken foot, and she knew it. Games at Helen's house were competitive, a little loud, and always worth showing up for.

Her home was a place people drifted into and stayed awhile. There was usually something going on, and if there wasn't, Helen would fix that. She loved a good laugh and was known to stir things up just enough to keep life interesting. The stories her friends tell about her are the kind that start with, "You won't believe what Helen did ... "

Helen loved her sports and stuck by her teams-the Utah Jazz and the Denver Broncos-through good seasons and bad. She also had a bit of a wandering streak and made it as far as Alaska and Africa, bringing back stories and, more often than not, something with an elephant on it. She had a real fondness for elephants-strong, steady, and not easily pushed around-which, if you knew Helen, makes a lot of sense.

She is survived by her brothers Gordon Marx, Farrel Marx (Elizabeth), and Robert Marx (Kathryn); her son Ronald Wesley Sorensen and daughter-in-law Patti; and her grandchildren, whom she loved in her own steady and unwavering way.

She was preceded in death by her husband Ray Sorensen; her children Alan and Paula; her grandson Tommy; her parents Wesley and Verla Marx; her older sister LaRaine; sister-in-law Loretta; and her longtime companion Charlie Eaton.

The family would like to thank GoodLife Senior Living for the care they provided. Helen will be missed in all the ways that matter most-in the quiet moments, the card games, the stories, and the kind of presence that doesn't quite leave a place when it's gone.

A private graveside service will be held at a later time.

.