Lila Mary Blanchard Dayley

Lila Mary Blanchard Dayley

WEST HAVEN a€" Lila Dayley passed away Monday, September 6, 2010.

She was born in a log cabin in Monarch, Utah on May 22, 1914, the daughter of Lovina Jones and William Blanchard. Lila spent her childhood working on the family farm with her brothers Lester, Bill and Lee Blanchard, and her sister Golda Beddes, learning a love of gardening, animals, and baseball, which continued her entire life. At the age of five, her family traveled in a covered wagon to Victor, Idaho where they lived for about a year. Finding the climate in Victor too harsh, they returned to Utah.

Lila moved to Ogden in 1934 where she met Chauncey Lee Dayley and his young sons, Douglas and Alan. They married on August 27, 1940 in Willard, Utah. Lila and Lee expanded their family with four more children: Melvin Dayley, Leland Dayley, Karen Dayley Glass and Darlene Dayley Scott. She adored her grandchildren and was blessed with 18 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Lila was a talented woman. Her abilities ranged from remodeling her home in Ogden to sewing a beautiful dress. She loved to crochet and was a gifted artist who won many awards for her landscape paintings. She also loved to bake and was famous for her cream puffs and fresh baked bread.

Lila loved animals. Later in life, she always had pet dogs and cats around her, and she would never turn away a stray or sick animal. After moving to West Haven in 1997, she increased her pet population by raising goats and chickens.

Vibrant into her 80''s she was still game for adventure, including riding her granddaughter''s pony at full gallop just to prove she could still do it. She hiked the Ogden foothills several times a week all year long, but winter with a new snowfall was her favorite time. Lila loved gardening. She spent hours per day taking care of her quarter-acre vegetable garden.

The family thanks the kind and dedicated staff at Aspen Care Center in Ogden for their loving care of Lila during her stay.

Lila is survived by her family and her loving poodle, Niki, who misses her greatly.

Graveside services will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at Lindquist''s Washington Heights Memorial Park, 4500 Washington Blvd.

Family will visit with friends at Lindquist''s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd., on Friday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Send condolences to the family at: www.lindquistmortuary.com