Charlene Moyes Summers was born 19 February 1936 to Lin Olsen and Marie Mecham Moyes in Brigham City, Utah. Mom grew up exploring and creating fun opportunities for her best friend and brother, Larry. She grew up in Mantua and Brigham City, Utah. She loved having lots of friends. She enjoyed fishing, camping and going to Idaho to see her maternal grandparents.
Charlene met Dorrain Summers, a farm boy from Bothwell, Utah at a school dance between Box Elder and Bear River High Schools. Dorrain found the love of his life when seeing Charlene’s beautiful green eyes. He made frequent visits to Brigham City’s popular Peach City Drive-in where Charlene worked as a car hop. She graduated from Box Elder High School in 1954; she attended Utah State University in elementary education. She enjoyed the social life of college and her sorority. Following her freshman year, they married 2 December 1955, in Brigham City, Utah
As a young married couple they followed work in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Seattle, Washington. Dorrain wanted to take advantage of his GI bill to enroll in a college education so they returned to Utah and moved in with Charlene’s parents. Their first daughter, Lisa, was born, their first son, Mitchell, came along while Dorrain was at Army Basic Training in Mississippi. Another son, Kendall, was born and their daughter Holly completed the family all while living in Brigham City.
Family time was spent hiking, exploring and playing board and card games. Charlene was an accomplished seamstress and sewed many of her own and her children’s clothes. She also made delicious bread and mastered the art of stretching a food budget.
With the help of grandparents, Charlene went back to college, making the sometimes dangerous drive through Sardine Canyon for the next three years. During the summer she took her children to Utah State’s Edith Bowen teaching school. Her first elementary teaching job was in Tremonton, Utah, and that required another move. It was then Dorrain’s turn to go to college.
Upon Dorrain’s graduation, he accepted work in Salt Lake City so the family moved to Bountiful, Utah in 1970. Charlene taught children for the Davis School District for 29 years where she eventually taught every grade, including special education classes. She loved teaching, especially the years she was able to teach several of her grandchildren. When needed she was always willing to take on leadership roles for her school and her fellow teachers.
She loved reading. She often read to her children and grandchildren. Vacations were times when children were captive in the car and reading books, like the Cricket in Times Square, Where the Red Fern Grows and the Real Story of St. Nicholas became a favorite traveling tradition. She loved exploring nature and history. She loved being with her children and grandchildren and wanted to know what everyone was doing and more importantly, how they were doing. They took all their grandchildren on special trips to fun and historic places.
Charlene, a life long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was always kind and loving to everyone. She served in the special needs mutual and as a Relief Society president several times. Charlene loved serving in the temples. Charlene and Dorrain served a mission in the Family History Library and to Samoa and American Samoa; part of her mission to Samoa was teaching the children. They also loved and served in branch and Relief Society presidencies for Legacy Senior Living.
Charlene was a living example of a disciple of her Savior Jesus Christ and shared her example with everyone she ever met. She will be greatly missed by the love of her life Dorrain, who always called her Charlie; her children Lisa & Gary Sharp, Mitchell & Kim Summers, Kendall & Lisa Summers, Holly & Gary Christley, grandchildren Erich (Alexa), Tina (Luke), Katie (Chad), Stephanie (Tim), Jill, Annemarie (Sean), Megan (Garrett), Cori Lee (Zac), Heidi (Dennis), Abbey, Danielle, Samuel (Amanda), Matthew (McKenna) and 22 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents Lin and Marie Moyes and brother, Larry Moyes.
Her family would like to thank the awesome staff of Barton Creek Senior Living and her amazing hospice nurse, Session Farrer. In lieu of flowers, we invite you to send a contribution to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Humanitarian Fund.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, September 9, 2023 at Russon Mortuary, 295 North Main, Bountiful, where a viewing will be held from 8:30-9:30 am prior to services. Interment – Bountiful City Cemetery.
Services will be streamed live on Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and this obituary page.
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