Leila June Seely (born Sorensen)
Personal
Gender: Female
Date of Death: November 16, 2017
Birth Place: Fillmore, UT
Death Place: Murray, UT
Leila June (Sorensen) Seely
Our beloved mom, grandma, sister, aunt and friend, Leila June Sorensen Seely, passed away peacefully on Nov. 6, 2017, in Murray, Utah. Leila was born in Fillmore, Utah, to Boyd James and Myrtle Meredith Olsen Sorensen. She was raised in Scipio, Utah, where her family owned and operated the town’s only hotel, The Scipio Hotel and several other businesses including the Scipio Merc, gas station, mechanic shop and wrecker service. Her family also raised bees and ran The Honey House where they bottled and sold the honey. Leila learned at a young age the value of hard work as she would serve breakfast to the hotel guests before going to school, and then help on the family farm and ranch in the evenings. She also had a paper route and helped her dad collect honey for the Honey House.
Leila graduated from Millard High School in Fillmore and then attended BYU in Provo, Utah, where she met and married her eternal companion, Dean Hansen Seely, on June 17, 1955, in the Manti, Utah LDS Temple. They lived for a short time in California before their firstborn son, Ricky, was diagnosed with leukemia and they moved back to Twin Groves, Idaho, to be closer to family. There they owned and operated the family farm. While Dean taught school, Leila would spend her days working on the farm, raising kids, fulfilling her church callings, quilting and canning, as well as many other things. Leila was a hard worker and taught her children by example. Leila and Dean also owned a hotel in West Yellowstone, Montana, for over 27 years.
She has always been an active member of the LDS Church and loved serving as the Relief Society President or anything she was called to do. She had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and was an amazing example of love and service to others. We are so grateful for eternal families and the knowledge that we know mom is with our dad and our two brothers, Ricky (age 3) and Brad (age 6) that she has missed every day.
Leila is survived by her children, Scott Ferrell (Susan) Seely, of Millville, Utah; Bryce Glen (Connie) Seely, of Royal City, Washington; JoLinda (Cornell) Hansen, of Rexburg, Idaho; and Robert Boyd (Jill) Seely, of Twin Groves, Idaho. She is also survived by siblings Dorothy Smith, Garth (Deanne) Sorenson and Udell (Peggy) Sorensen; sister-in-law Peggy (Jay) Sorensen; 17 grandchildren; and 22 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Dean; two sons, Richard Dean Seely and Bradford Lee Seely; and her brothers Jay, Gerald and Duane Sorensen.
Funeral services will be conducted on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, at noon in the St. Anthony Idaho LDS Stake Center (247 E. 4th N.) with Bishop Wade Geisler, of the Twin Groves First Ward, officiating. Friends may call at Bert Flamm Mortuary (581 E. 1st N.) in St. Anthony on Sunday night from 5:30-7 p.m. and at the Church on Monday morning from 11-11:45 a.m. just prior to services. Burial will be in the Parker City Cemetery.
Published in Rexburg Standard Journal on November 9, 2017
[Wife of great-grandson of SGS # 2337 – Dean Hansen; Ferry Randolph; Stuart Randolph; Justus Wellington (#2337); Justus Azel (#836); Justus William; Joseph; John; Benjamin; Nathaniel, Robert]
