Frederick "Fred" Flake Boone Obituary (1941

Frederick Flake Boone, age 81, passed away in his home in Provo, Utah on May 15, 2022. He was born on February 27, 1941, in Jacksonville, Florida to James Roland and Ruth Flake Boone. He was the third of fourteen children: eleven boys and three girls. Fred enjoyed a wonderful childhood in a rural setting on the outskirts of Jacksonville where he and his rowdy siblings created memories to last a lifetime and stories that continue to get better with time. As you can imagine, the space to house fourteen children was tight and the funds to provide for that many children were quite limited, many of the older boys slept in a detached “bunkhouse” a distance from the main family home. Certainly, this separation from parents led to many of the cherished memories for the siblings and the wonderful stories the next generation gets to listen to and enjoy. Fred’s parents were hardworking and very faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They, and the children they raised, were instrumental in the growth of the church in the Jacksonville area and have created a legacy known well beyond the region. It is not uncommon for Boone descendants, upon meeting new people, to be asked if they are part of the “Jacksonville Boones” and then upon confirmation be told of the wonderful family and legacy that they are descended from. Fred’s parents taught their children to work hard and serve others through their endless examples of service and sacrifice. They prioritized keeping extended family ties strong. Many summers the family piled deep in a sedan and traveled across the country to Snowflake, Arizona to visit Fred’s mother’s family. There, they spent time riding horses, herding cattle, making memories, and strengthening family bonds. While growing up, Fred was involved in many things including sports, work, and scouting. At one time, he and his brothers held the record for the most Eagle Scout awards earned within one family as ten of them attained the rank of Eagle. Fred spent a lot of his time working at his father’s used car lot, Union Motors. There he developed a love of cars and a habit of trading or peddling cars (sometimes pedaling) cars and trucks. Each of his children have stories of helping him tow cars and trucks from place to place for repairs, or to be sold to try to make an extra dollar to help provide for his family. Following high school, Fred served in the California Mission. He loved to tell stories about the people that he met and the experiences he had. His favorite area was probably Prescott, Arizona, where he had the blessing of baptizing and bringing into the gospel dozens of people while serving there. He attributed his success in the area to obedience and hard work, but most importantly to the Lord preparing the people. Following his mission, Fred attended and graduated from Brigham Young University. He was able to attend at the same time as many of his siblings and they had many wonderful experiences together and stories upon stories to share from those years. While attending BYU he dated a lot. He often shared the story of when he met first Aliece Hall. When Aliece and her roommates came over to his apartment to pick up some milk, he immediately told his brothers and roommates “Hands off, she’s mine.” Fifty-six years later, she still is. Fred and Aliece were married and sealed in the Manti, Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on January 28, 1966. Early in their marriage a doctor informed them that they may not be able to have children. Grandfather Boone gave Aliece a priesthood blessing where she was promised that she would be able to bear children. The promise in that blessing was fulfilled over and over again as Aliece gave birth to their ten children: RuthAnne, Jacob, Susan, Rick, Julie, Mark, Matthew, Maria, Spencer, and Michelle. Fred and Aliece made their home in Provo, Utah living in various places until moving to their forever home they had put on a little piece of acreage in southwest Provo. It was always a dream of theirs to have a little ground to raise their family. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to be able to make this dream a reality. When sharing the story, Fred often spoke of how difficult it was and how they almost gave up on their dream. Though small in terms of farming, it was their “farm” where their children learned the value of work, sacrifice and service. At one point someone questioned Fred on his farming and raising animals indicating it was not profitable. In response, Fred said “I am not raising animals, I am raising children.” Father and Mother made family prayer and mealtime a priority. Father’s booming voice echoed across the property as he hollered “All in” to gather his children. “All in” meant “come a runnin’.” Fred worked for most of his career for Provo City beginning in the power department doing collections, then on the tree crew, and eventually at the power plant for several years before they closed it down. He finished his career with Provo City working at the cemetery for many years before his retirement. Fred always worked hard to provide for such a large family and did whatever it took to make things work. He often had “side jobs” going on with the cars and trucks he dealt in, tree removal and trimming and various other ways he found to make some money to help out. Fred almost always included his children in these endeavors which lead to cherished memories as they worked together. Fred and Aliece always made it a priority to have family trips and outings together. They would load up the old van, and often a utility trailer, and head out across the country with a lot of faith and a little money creating life-long memories for their children. They camped along the way while traveling to far off destinations, usually to see family. Together, Fred and Aliece, provided a wonderful childhood for their children as they worked, served, and played together. A childhood that none of the ten would trade for anything. Fred was known for his amazing strength and large stature. As time took a toll on his body, his strength began to lessen and his muscular stature faded away, but his huge heart stayed just as big and kind as it always was and even became a little more tender. Throughout his life, Fred always looked out for others and was known to share, even when he did not have extra. When he would have a beef or pork butchered, he could be found driving around the area delivering packages of meat to the widows and others he thought might need or enjoy it. In later years, he would peddle fresh peaches that he bought and would take around and deliver to many people. If they could not pay, he has been known to give them the peaches and maybe something extra to help out. Fred was always very active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served so faithfully and diligently in the many different callings he held throughout the years. He was a very devoted home teacher and helped and served in any way he could. Fred had a missionary heart and served faithfully as a service missionary both at the Missionary Training Center and at the Transient Service Office for almost fourteen years following his retirement. As age took a toll and his physical abilities diminished, his devotion to God remained strong and he served in whatever capacities he was able. Fred was not shy about his testimony of the Savior and did not hesitate to share it. Family was so important to Fred and was the source of his greatest joy. He was so welcoming and loving to his family and to the in-laws as his children and grandchildren married and their spouses became part of the family. He was proud of each of his forty grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Fred made each child feel special by the efforts he made to be part of their lives and by his efforts to attend as many of their activities as he could. It is no secret that family is his greatest joy and that his greatest desire is for his family to all be able to be together eternally. We expect to hear a big “All in” when he gathers his family in the eternities. His family will miss hearing him pray and gathering us together for family prayer at the end of a visit, his happy and cheerful demeanor, phone calls checking in on them, his grateful nature for simple things, his faithful example, his endearing grin, goodbye hugs, fun and numerous stories, his wisdom and counsel, his tearful “I love you” and hearing him tell the grandchildren “Papa loves you”. This giant of a man, both in stature and in spirit, has left a legacy that will carry on throughout the eternities. Fred is survived by his eternal sweetheart, Aliece Hall Boone, and their children: RuthAnne Bradford, Orem, Utah; Jacob (Cheryl), Cedar Hills, Utah; Susan (Murat) Çakır, Istanbul, Turkey; Rick, Provo, Utah; Julie (Wade) Hintze, Tooele, Utah; Mark (Jill), Provo, Utah; Matthew (Rebecca), Tremonton, Utah; Maria (Nathan) Hunter, Mona, Utah; Spencer (Lindsey), Newton, Utah; Michelle (Terence) Knudsen, Provo, Utah. Grandchildren: Taylor (Michael), Riley, Kennedy (Jake), Emery, Jordan (Brace), Alex (Cassie), Chris (Shelby), Madison (Kevan), Joshua, Kaleah, Parker, Spencer, Joseph, Kaya, Leah, Serah, Ece, Nathan, (Jessica), Ryan (Kambri), Shannon, Caleb, Makinna, Emilee, Harper, Carson, Megan, Tyler, Tucker, Travin, Tayton, McCall, Brooklynn, Hailey, Olivia, Swasey, Tilden, Ally, Kadence, Reid, Lyla. Great-grandchildren: Mason, Evelyn, Henry, Jace, Hadley, Sadie, Harper, Aspen, Silas. Siblings and siblings-in-law: James “Flake” (Carolyn), Coley, Sherry Peterson, Dorinda Dennis Boone, Joseph (Alisyn), George (Connie), Hyrum (Kay), Melinda Block, Martha (McKay) Checketts, David (Anna), John (Evonne), Elaine (Brent) Muhlestein, Michael (Karren), Samuel (Ruth) Preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Frank and Norma Hall; son-in-law, Kyle Bradford; brother, Daniel; brother-in-law, Ron Block; sisters-in-law, Sherry Rupp Boone, Gayle Barnett Boone, Mary Farnsworth Boone. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, May 27, 2022 at the Lakeside 2nd Ward Chapel, 2530 West 200 South, Provo, Utah. Viewings and visitation will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and May 27, 2022 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Interment in the Provo City Cemetery. A special thank you to Berg Mortuary for their care of Father. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.bergmortuary.com. Those who cannot attend in person are invited to view a live stream of the service via Zoom, https://zoom.us/j/96525120766. Zoom Meeting ID: 965 2512 0766. Family and friends are invited to share memories of our father at https://forms.gle/UyqbAm6AuDgGSKnG6.