Janet Leatham

Janet V. (Hatch) Leatham

March 20, 1941 ~ August 28, 2019

I died today, August 28, 2019 at the age of 78. An awfully good life don’t you think? I loved and laughed and traveled and played, but in the end the culprit was too many birthdays. I was born March 20, 1941, in Salt Lake City Utah, to Meltiar V. and Cleo Hatch. They were wonderful parents and I had a great childhood, full of love and adventure shared with siblings, Alta, Ina, Howard “Howe”, Carl, Wallace “Sog”, Art, Dave “Torpedo” and Jim “Tink”. Spending summers at the Hatch Ranch, feeding lambs, hiking the hills, playing in the Mammoth Creek and 24th of July family reunions were always a must with hundreds of relatives. Watching the families grow and sharing stories.

High School and college friends stayed as my friends most of my life, a few leaving this existence before me. Following graduation from BYU, there was a move to Ogden, Utah, which brought me to another adventure, Larry Leatham, a fellow teacher at Highland Jr. High School. Marriage to him in the St. George Temple was followed by buying our home, and then came our children, Jennifer V. and Jeffrey Brett.

What a delight my children were to my life. Jennifer married Andrew Roush and from this marriage I got my four grandchildren: Jake (Lauren), Sade, Gabriella and Max. Great times we had sharing excursions and vacations, Sunday dinners, laughing and crying together. Jennifer became a business teacher just like me and loves it as much as I did. Best profession in the world.

Jeff became world famous as the artistic director of the Paris, Beverly Hills and Philadelphia Four Seasons Hotels. We traveled the world with him meeting famous people, appearing on TV shows, walking the streets of Paris, boat rides in Amsterdam and Paris shooting TV Shows in Panguitch, Ogden, New York and Chicago, helping him put up exclusive wedding and spending most Christmas’ in Paris. Oh, the stories we would tell; oh, the fun we had.

Larry and I loved to travel the world together and were able to visit over twenty-four different countries and the same number of states in the United States.

Oh how I loved to decorate my houses and work in the kitchen. Shopping everywhere to find treasures I could put in my houses in Ogden and Panguitch was always enjoyable. Duplicating my mom’s wonderful recipes or coming up with new tasty recipes was always a delight. My caramels, puffed rice balls, apple turnovers and raspberry jam were loved by all.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I loved all the callings I received: earlier in life the young women’s programs and later serving in the relief society as a counselor five times and president once, ward and stake dinners, completing craft projects, associations with the wonderful sisters and also serving as a service missionary with my husband at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. I also had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer at the Ogden Regional Hospital for several years.

Seven of my siblings and some of their mates precede me in death. They were: Alta (Jim) Yardley, Ina (Bob) Hanks, Howard (Mamie), Carl, Arthur (Arlene), James (Janice), and Ira Wallace, my brother-in-law, Dale Leatham, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Surviving is only one sibling, David (Vera), sister-in-laws Elaine Hatch, Caryl Hatch Engelstead, Barbara Leatham. Sister and brother-in-law, Dolores and Kortney Kofoed; children, Jennifer (Andrew) Roush, Jeffrey Brett Leatham; grandchildren, Jake (Lauren), Sade, Gabriella, Max Roush.

I will miss you all, but it is time for me to go off on the ultimate adventure! The funeral should be a celebration of life! Thanks, and goodbye, just for now of course, so no more tears, we will all be together again someday, and besides I really feel much better today than I did yesterday.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 31, 2019 at the Washington Terrace 10th Ward, 125 E. 5350 S. Friends may visit with family on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church.

In addition there will be a viewing held at the Panguitch 2nd Ward , 178 N. 400 E., Panguitch on Sunday, September 1, 2019 from 6 to 8 p.m. Interment will be held at the Panguitch City Cemetery on Monday, September 2 at 10 a.m. 290 S Cemetery Rd, Panguitch.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of America at ALZ.org

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