Colleen Unander Arave

Colleen Arave passed away peacefully at home in St. George, Utah, surrounded by her loving family on August 19, 2024.

The daughter of Joseph Unander and Ethel Scadden, Colleen was born in Ogden, Utah, on June 14, 1937. She was the 3rd of 4 children. Colleen was raised and schooled in Ogden. She met and married Gary Arave there and they later divorced. She was a proud resident of Ogden, always near her family, for the majority of her life.

For much of her working life, Colleen was a seamstress and worked at Sierra Lingerie for 18 years. She also worked as a caregiver for several homebound elderly ladies, and provided childcare for working moms for many years. Colleen’s nurturing and compassionate nature guided her life and blessed those around her. She was a hard worker who, as a single mother, was passionate about providing fully for her beloved daughter.

Colleen’s gift for making others feel loved was a blessing to many people, but most of all her family. Her daughter Linda has always considered her mother to be her hero and best friend. Growing up, Linda loved having the “cool mom” that all her friends adored.Colleen delighted in spending time with Linda and Linda’s five children. She loved to spoil her grandchildren, and they loved to make her laugh. Colleen made countless gifts, meals, goodies, and keepsakes for her grandkids. She was very artistically talented, constantly creating, always adding beauty to the world. She crocheted intricate afghans, doilies, and other home decor. She sewed quilts, dresses, and doll clothes. She painted beautiful ceramic pieces, too many to count, and gave them as gifts to be cherished by loved ones for years to come. Linda and the grandchildren all treasure the 15-piece ceramic nativities Colleen painted with lifelike detail, a full set for each of their homes. Her family proudly recalls an amusing anecdote about the time Colleen entered an intricately crocheted tableau of the Last Supper into the Utah State Fair. The impressive piece measured about four feet long and was framed beautifully to hang on a wall. However, it was made up of such tiny stitches, the handy-craft judges mistook it as an entry for just the lovely mounting and framing of what appeared to be machine-manufactured lace from a store, when it was, in fact, hand-crochet with Colleen’s talent and care. Her daughter Linda has displayed the “Last Supper” proudly in her home ever since. 

Colleen will be remembered most for her generosity of spirit and her sincere love for other people. Her gift for making others feel safe, cozy, and nourished, both emotionally and physically, is an inspiration to all who knew her. Her family will smile each time they wrap a baby in a blanket she made, or unwrap a delicate holiday figurine she painted, year after year. 

Colleen is survived by her daughter, Linda Spainhower, St, George, Utah; her five grandchildren: Stephanie Spainhower, Andrew (Mallory) Spainhower, Audrey (Luke) Dunshee, Elise (Nic) Clark, and Moriah Spainhower (fiance Troy Washburn). She is also survived by her five great grandchildren: Fitz Spainhower, Jonah Dunshee, Cohen Spainhower, Zelda Clark, and July Dunshee. Colleen is also survived by her nieces, Diana (Kent) Housely, and Karen Wright, as well as her sister-in-law Judy (Orlan) Unander, and her brother-in-law Tom (Afton) Radomski, and her many beloved nieces and nephews.

Colleen was preceded in death by her parents, her two infant daughters, Judy Lynn and Lori Ann, her sister Afton Radomski, and her two brothers, Harold (Karma) Unander, and Orlan Unander. 

The family wishes to thank the staff of Beehive Assisted Living and Memory Care and Dixie Hospice for their kind, loving, and professional care of Mom, and their support of the whole family.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. Friends may visit with family on Wednesday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary. Interment, Lindquist’s Washington Heights Memorial Park, 4500 Washington Blvd.

ORDER VIDEOS