Verna Vee Lynn Tew

November 5, 1929 – July 21, 2026

Verna Vee Lynn Tew, aged 96, slipped peacefully from the comfort of her Orem home into Roy’s waiting arms on Tuesday evening, July 21, 2026. She was born on November 5, 1929, in Lovell, Wyoming, to Orin "Chris" Lynn and LaPrele Robertson Lynn in the log home on her grandparents’ farm. She was loved and adored her whole life as a daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, wife, in-law, mother, aunt, grandmother, and friend.

Although she loved her Utah home, Verna Vee was always a Wyoming girl at heart. She grew up in Lovell, where she attended school and graduated with the very close-knit Class of 1948. She was an excellent student who loved her teachers and was an award-winning member of the 4-H Club. She won writing contests, the Lovell Seminary Extemporaneous Speech Contest (to no one's surprise), and the statewide 4-H District Contest for her skillful "ironing tricks" demonstration. She loved attending American Legion parties with her parents and knew all of the Legionnaires by their first names. She was also known to enjoy "borrowing" a car, rounding up her friends, and hitting the open road, to the point that her sheriff father had to issue a public warning: "Hide your keys around Verna Vee!". She loved the people she grew up with and made the effort to attend many of her high school reunions, making sure her husband and friends were in tow whenever possible.

Never a stranger to hard work, Verna Vee helped on her parents’ farm, waking up early before school to milk cows, walk behind a plow horse, weed the crops, gather eggs, and do her mother's hair before going to school together as teacher and student. She waitressed with her sister, Arlene, in their parents’ café, Stockmans. She worked with friends in the nearby drug store where they would push back the chairs to dance to the jukebox when the boss was away. She spent time working in the mortuary next door, tenderly caring for the deceased. She was especially proud of being hired by the owner of the first department store in Anchorage, Alaska, impressing him with her knowledge and charisma in the furniture section. She was always a partner to Roy in his business- taking and delivering messages by phone and car, offering her input, picking up lumber, nurturing client and contractor relationships, and so much more.

Verna Vee always wanted to be a teacher and attended BYU on scholarship to earn a degree in Education. It was there that she met her future husband, Roy Eldon Tew, home from his World War II service in the Army Air Force. Roy first saw (and heard) her in the library and sent a friend to learn her name under the guise of a noise complaint (not Verna Vee!) so he could approach her by name at the upcoming dance. A wonderful romance- and a set of pearls for Christmas that year- and the rest is history. They were married on April 13, 1949 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple and had almost 70 beautiful years together.

Within a week of being married, they bravely made the trek to Anchorage, Alaska via the old Alcan Highway. At that time, Alaska was only a territory and the “highway” was just a dirt and gravel road. It truly was the Wild West. Roy built them a small home in Provo while working summers in Alaska and completing school during the winters. Their first child, Lynda, was born on March 22, 1950; a tiny and precious premature baby. The twin boys, Chris and Bliss, came soon after on July 17, 1952; a surprise as they had only been expecting one baby! Their youngest child, Marcy, arrived on January 10, 1956; an easy baby to complete the family. They lived with their children in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska and Richland, Washington as well as Provo, Edgemont, and Springville, Utah. In 1956, they settled in Orem, Utah where both Roy and Verna Vee lived for the remainder of their years.

Although Verna Vee did not become a teacher in the traditional sense, she honored her passion for teaching in many ways. As a high school student, she substitute taught for her mother when she fell ill. The students loved their time with her. At age 19, she was called to teach in the Mutual Improvement Association where she taught what she believed was important. She shared with them her values of honesty, service, and hard work, along with some of her home economics expertise and even took them camping in Provo Canyon. A faithful member of the LDS Church, she served for 19 years in Primary and held many callings in Relief Society. She taught herself how to feed both her household and enormous gatherings, studying a cookbook until it was falling apart to learn how to create meals that were tasty and properly nourishing. And she taught her children so much, including to love reading like she always did.

Verna Vee and Roy loved to travel and experience new places, architecture, cultures, and, of course, people. They visited family in Oregon and Texas and saw all 50 states and their capitals. They were among the first tourists to enter Russia after the Cold War. She credited her heritage for the way she was treated in Denmark and Scotland- “like I was royalty,” she always said. From fellow tour group members to “strangers” on a bench, she made great friends on their travels. Near or far, Verna Vee had a lifelong knack for making people feel seen, special, and loved.

There is no doubt that Verna Vee was a very social woman who loved and enjoyed all people. She had many friends from many places because she effortlessly made friends wherever she went. Verna Vee belonged to “Club 47” since 1950 and attended a monthly dinner with another group for decades. She and Roy were also close with a fun-loving group from Roy’s hometown of Springville and attended yearly reunions with his B-29, 19th Bombardment Group from World War II. She dutifully stayed in touch with hundreds of family members and friends throughout her life by way of many handwritten letters and long phone calls.

She worked so hard, loved so hard, and put her whole heart into everything that she did, always wanting to do her best for herself and others. She was strong, courageous, smart, beautiful, warm, and generous. She loved her family (close and distant) and friends (near and far) above everything else. She leaves an incredible legacy. We love her. We respect her. We are grateful to her. We have millions of good memories with her. We will never forget her.

Verna Vee is survived by her children Lynda Tew, Chris (Susan) Tew, Bliss (Sharon) Tew and Marcy Woodley, 7 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren as well as numerous nieces, nephews and others.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Roy Tew, two grandchildren, Ashley Tew and Adam Woodley, her parents, Orin and LaPrele Lynn, and her sister and brother-in-law, Arlene and Bob Welch.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sharon 4th Ward, located at 430 South 700 East, Orem, UT 84097.

Family and friends may also visit during viewings on Friday, July 31, 2026, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. or Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 9:00-10:30 a.m., both also at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sharon 4th Ward, located at 430 South 700 East, Orem, UT 84097.

The graveside dedication will take place following the funeral services on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 2:40 PM at Evergreen Cemetery located at 1997 South 400 East, Springville, UT 84663.

If you would like to send flowers for the services, please have them delivered to Walker Sanderson Funeral Home at 646 East 800 North, Orem, UT 84097; phone number 801-226-3500.