Barbara Coray

Barbara Stoven Coray, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, peacefully passed away Monday, June 27, 2016 after an extended illness.

Born September 9, 1928 in Salt Lake City, Utah to William Detlef and Florence Brighton Stoven Covey, she spent her childhood in Park City before moving to Salt Lake with her family. She attended Garfield Elementary School and Irving Jr. High before graduating from East High School and moving on to Westminster College.

Starting work early in her life, Barbara held many jobs including helping raise her younger siblings, and at one point was even a drug store “soda jerk.” As a young adult, dancing was a true passion, and it was while teaching at the Arthur Murray Dance Center that she met her future husband Ed. Married in 1950 they started a family together shortly thereafter and lived in various locations before settling in Ogden in 1959. She moved into an assisted living facility in Layton in 2014.

First and foremost Barbara was a devoted wife and dedicated mother to her 5 children, instilling in them the importance of family and compassion. She attended numerous swimming meets throughout Utah and Idaho, watching her kids compete and working the concessions table selling Jello and Rice Krispy Treats. She was front and center whenever her kids performed in school plays, musical recitals or church functions, and carried that on to her grandkids’ activities until she was no longer able to travel. And she was always the best-dressed mom wherever she went!

Barbara was an avid card player, at one point earning Grand Master points for duplicate bridge. She introduced a love of card games to her kids from an early age, and she and Ed spent countless hours over the next 6 decades with her family and friends at the card table. She’s been a member of bridge groups in Ogden, Salt Lake and most recently Brigham, and was one of “the gals” at the Ogden Golf and Country Club duplicate games for many years. She was an aficionado of board games and delighted in playing them with her family, especially excelling at Scrabble and, later in life, Words with Friends on her Kindle.

A life-long traveler with a limitless interest in learning about other countries, Barbara went to many of the world’s most beautiful, impressive and exotic sites, and she loved cruising whenever possible. She instilled the importance of learning about other cultures to her family by hosting several foreign exchange students throughout the years, many of whom who kept in touch with her to this day, with some still considering her a second mother.

Originally extremely shy, Barbara grew to love entertaining and socializing. She enjoyed meeting new people and learning their life stories. For the past 18 months she’s lived at Fairfield Village where she has been assisted by countless nurses, aides and physicians’ assistants, all with life-stories she was eager to learn about. Barbara cared so much for this new “family” of hers and they in turn doted on her.

Barbara experienced health issues the last few years of her life, but she rarely complained. She maintained a positive attitude throughout and served as a true source of inspiration to her family until her final breath.

Preceded in death by her husband J. Edward Coray, Barbara is survived by children Kevin (Kathleen Loehr, Alexandria, VA), Steven (Bountiful, UT), Carolyn (David Hartzell, Jr., Clarence Center, NY), Patricia (Boyd Keys, St. Louis, MO), and David (Washington, DC); eight grandchildren and one great grandson. She is also survived by sisters Myrna Little and Ramona Judd, and preceded in death by siblings Beverly, Bill and Colleen Stoven.

Barbara’s family would like to thank of all her friends, extended family members and the staffs at Fairfield Village and Inspiration Hospice who have acted as a source of support and love throughout the years. A heartfelt thanks goes to close family friends Lezli and John Gunn for everything they’ve done, as well as to Aunts Myrna and Ramona for being amazing and supportive sisters.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, July 2, 2016 at 12:00 PM at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Services entrusted to Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road.

In lieu of flowers, her family asks that you keep Barbara in your thoughts forever and let her spirit hold you as you hug your loved ones tightly.