Reva Merrell Roper died Thursday April 23, 2026 from celebrating too many birthdays. Reva was born October 22, 1927 to Franklin and Mary Jane Angus Merrell in Vernal, Uintah County, Utah. She was the youngest of seven children and the only girl. She attended schools in Vernal, graduating from Uintah High School in 1945. In High School she was active in the Pep Club and played softball. Her first job was at the Vernal Express weekly newspaper where she learned to operate the old Mergenthaler hot lead typesetting machine, and years later did typesetting with computerized equipment, first for Ridge Printing in Orem and Press Publishing, in Provo.

She met Voit J. Roper when he returned to Vernal to teach English at Uintah High School, after graduating from BYU. They were married August 20, 1948 in the Salt Lake Temple. Voit passed away in 1982. They are the parents of five children.

Reva and Voit lived in Vernal until 1955 when they moved to Provo. In 1965 they purchased a home in Orem where Reva lived until moving to the Courtyard at Jamestown in 2023.

A dedicated, life-long member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she had many opportunities to serve, including Primary president, chorister, teacher, and counselor; Ward Relief Society president (twice); Stake Relief Society president and counselor. She was the editor of the Second Ward newsletter for 32 years. Reva worked in the Provo Temple appointment office and served 18 months in the Germany Munich mission office from 1995 to 1997. She also spent 9 years as a hostess at the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City.

Reva loved, and was proud of her family and enjoyed her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, and many friends. She enjoyed gardening and took pride in her yard. Sewing, crafts and reading were also her interests. She felt she was blessed to live in a great neighborhood and ward.

Born without the sense of smell, Reva has been looking forward to sometime being able to smell a rose or bread baking and all the other wonderful fragrances in this world. Without the ability to smell, her tasting was also limited and she often wondered what all the fuss was about using herbs in cooking because she could not taste or smell them.

Surviving are her four sons and one daughter. Delwyn (Becky Brown) Roper, Taylorsville; ElRay (Susanne Frost) Roper, Provo; Teryl (Tammy Wagstaff) Roper, Highland; Valerie (Jared Haines), Orem, and Bryce Roper, Orem, twenty-three grandchildren, 51 great grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday May 16th at 11:00 am at the Sharon 2nd Ward chapel; 641 S. 400 E, Orem, UT. A visitation will be held Friday evening May 15th at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home, 646 E 800 N in Orem from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and from 9:30 to 10:30 am at the church prior to the funeral services. Burial will take place in the Orem City Cemetery.