Deah Tonks Fletcher Obituary (1929

Deah Tonks Fletcher, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend passed away on February 15, 2014, in Provo, Utah at the age of 84, following a courageous battle with an extended illness. She was born on June 26, 1929 in Victor, Idaho, where she lived on a small farm with her parents Firl E. Bagley and Howard Tonks, brothers Cleon and Gerald, and sisters Evelyn and Carol. Growing up at the foot of the Tetons, she developed a strong work ethic and grew to love nature, the gospel and her family. She graduated from Madison High school in Rexburg, Idaho where she also attended Ricks College, majoring in Business Education and minoring in Music and Home Economics. In 1951, she transferred to Brigham Young University and graduated the following year with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education. She then moved to Salt Lake City to work as the secretary for the Placement Director of the University of Utah. She and Harvey J. Fletcher met in the University ward there, fell in love, and married in the Idaho Falls Temple on March 20, 1953. When Harvey began teaching Physics and Mathematics at BYU, the couple moved to Provo where they raised their six children Mary Lyn, Thomas, John, Deanna, Amy and Judy, with intermittent career leaves to New Jersey, California, and Maryland. Deah and Harvey created a loving, secure home for their children and grandchildren, to whom Deah devoted herself completely. She loved her husband and family with a deep abiding love, sacrificed much for them, and was exceptionally thoughtful and giving. Deah volunteered in the community, served on the PTA, and was recognized for her dedicated service to the “Pennies by the Inch” drive for Primary Children’s Medical Center. Hardworking and never idle, she was an avid reader and a talented homemaker, gardener, quilter, canner, seamstress, candy maker, organizer, and genealogist. She loved music, played the clarinet and piano, sang in several choirs, and nurtured musical talent in her children. Above all, Deah was devoted to her Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ; her faith in them was the foundation of her entire life. She served faithfully in the LDS church in presidencies of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary and as a teacher in several organizations. She and Harvey served as temple workers in the Provo Temple and as full-time missionaries in the French-speaking Geneva, Switzerland mission and in the Family History Center mission in Salt Lake City. Deah also served several service missions in Provo, teaching genealogy classes and helping in the supervision of the Ancestral and Medieval file programs. Her faith, testimony, and dedication to the gospel is a legacy for her 6 children, 28 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Deah is preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Carol Weatherston, and her great-grandson, Caleb Stecker. Funeral services to honor Deah’s wonderful life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 22, 2014 at the Edgewood Ward Chapel, 3511 North 180 East, Provo, Utah. Friends and family may call at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, Friday evening from 6:30-8:00 p.m. and at the Edgewood Ward building Saturday from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Interment, American Fork City Cemetery. Condolences may also be sent online at www.bergmortuary.com.