Barbara Lee Stanton

BARBARA LEE STANTON OBITUARY

August 8, 1927 – September 27, 2024

Barbara Lee was born August 8, 1927 in Tucson, Pima, Arizona. The first daughter of: James Maurice Lee and Ruth Maxine Sadler

Barbara had two sisters, Virginia Lee (Goddard) and Kathryn Lee (Truby)

Barbara spent most of her childhood living in St. David, AZ surrounded by grandparents and cousins and lived a very happy childhood. She loved living close to her grandparents and cousins.

Her father & grandfather worked for the Apache Powder Plant, where explosives were produced. Her father worked in the area of Nitro Glycerin. Following several big explosions, he decided to move his family to El Paso, Texas, but eventually moved to South Gate, CA where Barbara attended South Gate High School and her father worked for the United States Mail transporting mail on the Railroad.

Barbara met Carl Dean Speirs at church, they fell in love and married the day after her high school graduation. Carl was drafted after World War II ended and was sent to Berlin, Germany. Soon Barbara, was able to join him. As an 18 yrs old girl, she traveled by herself across the country and then across the Atlantic to join him. She kept a wonderfully written journal of that adventure.

In Berlin, she saw the devastation of Germany and was deeply touched. The people were hungry, homes gone and their cities destroyed. She told of a little boy who she found going through her garbage. She brought him into the house and made him a peanut butter sandwich, which he grabbed and ran out of the house.

She wished she would have made him more than one. She also loved her time in Germany and attended the opera in the roofless Berlin Opera house, and talked about being under a “ceiling of stars”.

Barbara & Carl returned from Germany in the fall of 1947 because they were expecting their first child. The baby boom had begun, and their daughter, Lee was born on December 31, 1947. In 1950 they bought their first home in Norwalk, California. Many new homes were built for the members of the military who were returning home.

In 1952 Barbara and Carl moved to Logan, UT where Carl attended Utah State University on the GI Bill and Barbara worked in the popular “Blue Bird Cafe”.

Carl graduated with a degree in Dairy Husbandry in June 1955 and they returned to CA to live in their home in Norwalk. There was excitement about a new baby coming, and a second daughter, Carol, arrived on July 4th, 1955. Soon a third child, a son, James Sidney Speirs was born on February 22, 1957. Another patriotic birth! Sid was named after both of his grandfathers.

Carl worked in the dairy industry, and Barbara worked as a keypunch operator. The family started attending church and Barbara was called to be the drama director. She loved working with the youth not only plays but dance. In fall of 1963, the ward members were practicing for a big ward talent show to be performed November 22, 1963. Tragically, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed that day. The dance and talent show was canceled and the world stopped. If you had a TV you were sitting in front of it, stunned and very sad.

As life moved on, unhappiness began to creep into their lives and in 1967 Carl and Barbara ended their marriage.

Barbara moved to Sacramento, CA and eventually married Edmund Franklin Durfee. They were married by their ward bishop, Bishop Reid Bunting who would turn out to be her son-in-law's uncle, when her daughter married Barry Baker.

Barbara & Ed bought a lovely home in Sacramento and Carol and Sid attended high school there. They all loved camping up around beautiful Lake Tahoe.

After living in Sacramento, Ed's work took him to Salt Lake City where they bought an old home at the bottom of Cotton Wood Canyon that they reworked into a lovely home with a huge garden, a pit bbq, and a playhouse for grandchildren.

They were a major part of the Durfee family property development in Enterprise, Utah where many happy Family Reunions took place. Ed and Barbara worked on many of the projects and spent a lot of time living in a mobile home they parked permanently on the Durfee Family Reunion property.

In 1991 Barbara and Ed were called to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were called to serve in Florida which they loved. In 1993 they put in their papers to serve a second mission, and were thrilled when they were called to serve in Australia, beginning January 1994. They returned home from Australia in July 1995, and Ed's health was declining. In December of 1995 Ed passed away. Barbara moved to Southern California and purchased a home in Oceanside. She loved her home there, she was close to family and close to the beach.

In her church congregation she developed a friendship with a widower named Harry Stantion. Harry asked her out for dinner and later asked, “if I ask you to marry me, will you move to Hawaii with me?” Always up for adventure, mother married Harry Clinton Stanton and they soon moved to Maui, HI where they spent the next 6 years. Their home on the island overlooked the Kanapali golf course, and the incredible view of the blue Hawaiian waters. They became temple workers in the Kona Temple.

After a while they began to miss family gatherings and events, and decided to move back to the mainland, settling on St. George, Utah. They bought a lovely home with plenty of room for guests and enjoyed their home that had a view of St. George. In 2008 Harry was diagnosed with bone cancer. He passed away on April 23, 2009.

Barbara had two dear life-long friends in St. George. Barbara Fiesler Adams and Darlene Henry Wheat. They were good friends for over 50 years. Both Barbara and Darlene passed away a couple of years ago. Now Barbara has graduated to heaven and is visiting and enjoying these two wonderful friends again.

After a while Barbara needed to be near family and she moved back to Southern CA and lived near her sister, Kathy. They had a lot of fun together, but as her health changed she moved to Escondido to be closer to her daughter. Barbara moved a number of times, and each time her personal world shrunk a little bit more. She had come to enjoy her little home though and at one time overlooked the swimming pool at the assisted living center. She loved sitting on her balcony, looking down on “her” pool and frequently joined the swimming class.

As her health continued to decline, she moved to memory care. Since she loved interior decorating, she had many beautiful things and we decorated her room very nicely. She moved in just before Covid hit and it was difficult, but she was able to understand. I would go see her at the window, or visit on the phone and she did well.

As the pandemic ended, they were again able to visit, and Lee would pick her up for church every Sunday. She came to her daughter Lee's home for all the special occasions and often for Sunday dinners.

She loved attending the temple and talked about it often. She wanted to go there and the temple workers were so happy to help her when she attended. She was in awe with the beauty and she loved Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The last day of her life, Lee was with her and reminded her of going to the temple together, and how much they loved sitting in the Celestial Room enjoying it together.

Her whole life seemed to be one of changing circumstances and decisions that kept changing her course, learning as she went. In the end, her decisions were clear, she wanted to be in the best place. She chose to return home as her daughter was reading a church General Conference talk about Temple Covenants and having Confidence in Jesus Christ.

Funeral Services Monday October 14, 2024 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, 2255 Felicita Rd, Escondido at 11 a.m. Viewing from 10:15-10:45 a.m. Service at 11:00 a.m.

Internment Saturday, October 19, 2024 at American Fork Cemetery at 11:00 a.m.

Address: 26 West 600 North, American Fork, Utah 84003

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