We miss you, Grandma

LOA MACKAY

Loa Gurr MacKay 1919 ~ 2010 Loa Gurr MacKay passed away peacefully May 17, 2010, just shy of her 91st birthday.She was born on May 31, 1919 in Provo, Utah to Wallace Marsh Gurr and Bathsheba James. She married her high school sweetheart, David O. MacKay, III, on May 20, 1941, in the Salt Lake Temple. Together they have six children, 30 grandchildren, and 52 great-grandchildren. An excellent seamstress, Loa supplemented the family income as time permitted, by altering clothing and by managing fabric stores in Salt Lake. She was also called upon to use her sewing skills to assist her husband in decorating the interiors of several Utah temples. As a sports enthusiast, Loa loved to play baseball, basketball, tennis, and any other outdoor sport. She also loved attending sporting events, especially when her family was participating, and wasn't afraid to let the officials know when they had made an error in their calls. She was an avid fan of BYU football, the Utah Jazz and the New York Yankees. She loved being outdoors, and particularly enjoyed camping and fishing with her parents, siblings, and children. Spending time with her family was important to Loa, and Sunday evenings were always set aside for her family. Much of that time was spent playing games, and Loa was often crowned the champion Rook player. She was ever sensitive of others, and had a gift for making everyone feel welcome and loved. Loa was a faithful member of the LDS church, serving in whatever calling came her way. Together with her husband, she served a mission from 1988 to 1990 in the New Zealand Temple. Upon returning home, they served together in the Salt lake Temple for many, many years. While very small in stature, she stood tall among all those who knew her as an example of service, compassion, and living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Loa was preceded in death by her husband last October, and by her parents, two brothers, and four sisters. She is survived by her sister LaVon Hansen, and her six children, David Brent (Jane) MacKay, Kathleen (Dennis) Canning, Beverly (Gerald) Platt, Patricia (Jon) Ashton, Brian (Stacey) MacKay, and Douglas (Julie) MacKay. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, May 22 at 12:00 noon at Larkin Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple, with a viewing from 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Interment at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.


My Grandma MacKay passed away on May 17th... just 7 months after her husband. She was anxious to be reunited with him again, and how could we blame her? It is hard to see her go and I miss her dearly, but I also feel peace knowing that she is happy and where she wants to be... with Grandpa


She was such a strong, vibrant and spunky woman. Just full of life. I have so many fond memories of my Grandma. I want to just list a few as we scroll through pictures...


*Even though we lived in CA and only saw her a couple times a year, somehow she was always current with what was going on in each of our lives. With 30 grandkids and 52+ great grand kids, I still don't know how she kept track of all of us.


*Singing to each new baby that is born.


*An avid sports fan. I know she is where my mom gets it from. I remember when I was 7 or 8 years old, after my parents sent me to bed, I could hear my mom screaming in front of the TV... louder than my dad. It scared me to death. It must have been either the Celtics or the Jazz playing.


*Always a candy bowl filled with Werther's, carmels, chocolate kisses, mints and peanuts.


*Even at 90 years old, while exercising in a wheelchair, she recited "I must, I must, I must increase my bust! The bigger the better, the tighter the sweater, the boys depend on us!"


*Lion Cookies (Kaleb named these.)

(This is what Jaden worked on during the service.
At first I thought he was drawing 2 cars.
Nope. One had flowers on top, the other a flag.)

*When I was at BYU my grandma had season tickets and was always at the games. I went to visit her in her seat one time and as she stood up to give me a hug I noticed a hamburger on her seat. When I asked her about it, she said that she had to sit on top of it so that it could squish down small enough to fit in her mouth!


*[Fist pumping] Rah! Rah! Rah Rah Rah! Goooooo COUGARS!


*She was the queen of games (Skip Bo, Uno, Fool's Rook, Rummikub, Liar's Dice..)


*$2 dollar bills in the mail for our birthdays.


*Combing my hair after a bath and making ringlets in my hair using just her finger.


*Whenever I came to visit, the first thing she did was feed me a huge home-cooked meal. And she made sure everyone was good and full.


*Saying "Weeeeeeeee!" while riding the elevator.


*Making a deal with me when I was in High School... If I read The Work and the Glory, then she would arrange for me to go boating with my cousins.


*Her spooky basement.


*Her amazing belching ability. I am proud to say I inherited that quality.


*Her courage to say whatever she felt like saying.


*She was a woman of service. Always there to help someone in need.


*She was a go-getter. If anything was to be done, she was the first one to get to work, or make sure someone else does the job!


*Made and brought a Jello every Sunday to dinner.


*Had the magical touch-lamp and floating pen.


*Called Grandpa, "D.O."



*Always let us know she loved us.

It was a beautiful service, very emotional and sweet. We heard lots of great stories about Grandma, and I know she is in Heaven right now, up to her old tricks!

At the Luncheon, there was a jewelry box of Grandma's. It was laid out so all the Granddaughters could come and have a piece of Grandma's collection. Well, once the announcement was made, I looked and saw a swarm of girls and thought, well, there won't be anything left, so I might as well not even bother. Besides, Grandma had already given me a ring and I was MORE than happy with that.

So I just worried about getting my kids some food. After waiting through the line a couple times till we had plates for each kid and ourselves, I decided to peek over at the jewelry box and see if there was anything left. To my surprise, (at least a half hour after the swarm,) there was still all of this left. I had NO idea my Grandma had so much jewelry. It made me smile. How cute is she?


So to add to my ring, I also have her black necklace, 2 sets of her fancy earrings, which I can still see her wearing, and a little pink rock pendent which I'm going to use to make a necklace with. Grandma gave me the ring probably a year ago. She used to wear it all the time and whenever I saw her wear it I would always slip it off her finger and onto mine. I loved it. After a while, she told me that later on, she would give it to me. I didn't actually expect her to remember telling me that, but sure enough one day, before Grandpa passed, she gave it to me. I asked her about the ring and she said that when she was released as Relief Society President, a lady in the ward (whose husband was in the jewelry business... I think) gave it to her as a thank-you for all that she had done.


Anyway, I told my sisters that there was still a lot of jewelry left and to go get some. Alli came back with a smile on her face and said, "Jackpot!" She was sporting Grandma's sunglasses. Which, I have to admit look really good on her!


At the end, there was still a lot left over... which is amazing considering the number of people who partook, and the number of items each person grabbed. So we let the boys pick something as well to remember their Great-Grandma by. Ethan picked out this shell necklace.


Jaden wanted to sport another pair of sunglasses...


...which he shared with Kaleb...


and Bradley.


Well Grandma, I think you would be proud to know that thanks to you and your loot, and just for you, we played a little "dress up."



We all love you and are happy that you are happy again. Thank you everything you taught us through your words and example. We can't wait to see you again. We all miss you.

(Just pretend Bryce is in the picture)