Wilma Johansen Butler was born on May 5, 1931, in Ogden, UT, to Theo Matilda Grow and Edgar Andrew Johansen. She passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 91 on the evening of December 21, 2022, with her daughters present. She was a strong and fierce woman all her life. Through her, we have a beautiful example of what it means to live life full of strength, passion, and fiery spirit. Wilma developed and cultivated many talents throughout her life; she was a gifted soprano soloist, seamstress, master gardener, interior decorator, business owner, valued employee and exceptional concrete finisher, avid reader, pie-baker extraordinaire, and loving wife and mother. Those who knew her described her as beautiful, elegant, classy, gracious, hardworking, and passionate. She was a woman who had a mind of her own, served unselfishly, loved freely, and protected fiercely. Of everything she gave in life – her supportive and loyal friendship will be most dearly missed.

As an only child, Wilma grew up a devoted daughter to her parents and loved spending time with her dad at the railroad, fishing on Becker Bridge, bowling, and attending the wrestling and boxing matches. She was extremely proud of her Danish and German ancestry and loved sharing stories of her relatives and their antics throughout her life. Wilma spent much of her childhood visiting relatives and playing with cousins in Huntsville, where she also learned to ride horses bareback. She grew up in a loving home that taught her the importance of family at an early age, with her own family moving in with her grandpa Grow after her grandma passed away to care for him when she was nine years old. She and her grandpa had countless great adventures, many of which were unknown to her parents, such as staying home from school to bake cookies or sneaking off to go fishing. Those memories made during that time she cherished all her life.

When Wilma graduated from Ogden High School in 1949, she could hardly wait to attend Weber College where she focused on studying the sciences. While in college, she was set up on a blind date with Parley Narvin Butler on January 20, 1950, and the two quickly fell in love and became engaged on Wilma's birthday, May 5, 1950. She and Parley married for time and all eternity on September 11, 1950, in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple and were married for nearly 64 years until Parley's death on June 5, 2014.

Their life together was always an adventure. They raised a family of 5 children and lived all over the United States including the following places: Washington Terrace in So. Ogden, UT; Joplin, MO; Marion, OH; Chattanooga, TN; St. Joseph, MO; San Rafael, CA; and, finally, Orem, UT. Their children were born in the following cities: Susan Marie and Curtis Johansen were both born in Ogden, UT. Paul Narvin and Julie Ann were both born in Marion, OH; and Mary Lynn was born in St. Joseph, MO. Wilma and Parley loved their children deeply and provided endless opportunities to learn and totally immerse themselves in the history and culture of the various places they lived.

Wilma loved to break the boundaries of ordinary life and people's expectations. She was a fierce, strong, and brave woman in a time when that wasn't acceptable. She loved to engage with people and was easy to get to know. She made friends from all across the United States and kept in touch with them throughout her life. Wilma and Parley had an open-door policy during their time living across the U.S., and their homes welcomed a steady stream of countless LDS missionaries to offer support, love, endless food and a home away from home for each of them. She was a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in many district, branch, and ward leadership and teaching positions, including early morning Seminary, holding as many as seven callings at one time while also tending to and supporting her five children, which at one time included delivering 180 newspapers twice daily beginning at 3:30 a.m.

During her life, Wilma also owned her own drapery business and was known for her beautiful designs and quality. She contracted for businesses in Utah, such as the Hines Mansion in Provo and Hotel Utah. She also spent time working in retail sales and management. However, her favorite role she chose was being a wife and mother. When Wilma was not working or taking care of her family, she enjoyed gardening and growing beautiful flowers and plants in her yard and inside her home. She found great peace in her relationship with nature, and its beauty—particularly roses and wild birds—were always plentiful in her yard. She also loved jewelry, artwork, and antiques and was an avid collector. It was rare to see Wilma without multiple rings, bracelets and necklaces adorning her classy outfits.

As Wilma's family grew and her children had children of their own, her heart was filled with love and support for her grandchildren. She would love to sit and visit with them while enjoying Danish butter cookies together. She would often give hand painted gifts as presents, and she was always known to express her love with a kiss and an embrace followed by a warm and loving smile, making sure to tell everyone she saw to pass along her love to the rest of the family.

Following Parley's death, Wilma moved into the Seville Retirement Center where she met and subsequently married Val Mortensen on Feb 18, 2017. They were together for five years but separated prior to her death.

Wilma is survived by her children, Susan (Bruce) Allen, Curtis (Diane) Butler, Paul (Stephanie) Butler, Julie (Mark) Karr, Mary (Matt) Tippetts, her sister-in-law Avalyn Marquardt, 18 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren, and numerous nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Parley.

While Wilma's family grieves her loss, we are comforted by the joyful knowledge that we will be with her again someday. Her joy for life and indomitable spirit lives on through us.

A viewing will be held prior to her funeral on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2022, 9:30–11 a.m. at the Orem Park 8th Ward Chapel, 114 South 400 West, Orem, UT, followed by a service beginning at 11:30 a.m. Graveside and burial will take place at Camp Williams Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park located at 17111 1700 West (South Camp Williams Rd) Bluffdale, UT. Funeral services are provided by Walker Sanderson Mortuary of Orem, UT.

A very special thanks to the entire staff of Cove Point Assisted Living where Wilma resided since September. The love and care they provided was unparalleled and filled with compassion for her unique circumstance. Thank you also to Bristol Hospice for quickly stepping in when we needed them and making Wilma's last days comfortable.