Quaila Atwater

Quaila Atwater, 78, most recently of Ogden, but a long-time Vallejo, California resident, passed away peacefully at her son’s home of natural causes, surrounded by her loving family on May 23, 2024.

Born October 28, 1945, at Barksdale Field, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, Quaila was the eldest of four children of Alfred Leon Newren and Elizabeth Pendleton Newren.

Her father was serving in the Air Force which took the family around the world. While growing up they lived in Shreveport, LA, Washington, D.C., Provo, UT, Anchorage, AK, Fairfield, CA, Kearns, UT, Rhein-Main, Germany, and Rome, NY. Her family came back to Utah while she was a teenager, initially returning to Provo, before settling in Bountiful.

She graduated from Bountiful High School as part of the Class of 1963.

For a couple years, Quaila worked as a clerk for the State of Utah, Health Department, Bureau of Vital Statistics. Then a close friend told her about an opportunity to work as a secretary to one of the General Authorities in the Church Office building. She was there for a couple of years and loved to tell stories of that special time.

She graduated from University of Utah with degrees in English & German. She then went on to Weber State University where she received her teaching certificate. She began her teaching career in Rio Vista, California. She taught there for 3 years.

While in Rio Vista she met her future husband at a Single Adult Family Home Evening. She married Paul Horace Atwater for time and all eternity on October 16, 1974, in the Salt Lake Temple, one of her life-long dreams. In October of this year, it would have been 50 years since their wedding day. Paul was in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii at the time of their marriage. After a honeymoon to Southern California, Quaila joined Paul in Hawaii for the first six months of their marriage. Paul’s next assignment brought them to Vallejo, California where they settled and started their family.

They raised five children, including their son, Donald, daughters, Joan and Carol, and sons, James (Jimmy), and Samuel. They spent nearly fifty years in the Vallejo, California area.

For years Quaila had many health challenges. She was supported by family and friends

especially those family that lived closest and handled the bulk of the burden. Quaila moved to Utah in late April this year to prepare for her final graduation and did so in the loving care of her son, Donald, and daughter-in-law, Sheila, and their four children.

Quaila’s greatest love was for her Savior and Heavenly Father and the Gospel. Her whole life was spent in service to the Lord as a faithful and joyful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She loved serving in the temple. Some of her favorite callings were all the music callings, Primary, Cub Scouts, and youth Sunday School teacher.

She will be remembered for many things including her servant heart, and her kindness to family and others in need. She showed genuine care and affection to those in her sphere of influence. She would send notes sometimes 5 or 6 a week (or more) to members of her ward, neighbors, friends, and family, just to let them know they were loved and that she was thinking of them.

Quaila loved books probably thanks to the actions and influence of her parents. She filled her home with good books. She shared them and frequently gave them as gifts to friends and family. Throughout her life, Quaila truly enjoyed music. Whether playing the piano or organ, singing, or listening to good music…she loved it all. She started playing for Sacrament Meeting at age 11 in Germany. All her children started learning to play the piano from her and some of them branched out into other instruments. She taught piano to some of her siblings and lots of other people (including her grandchildren) throughout her life. She taught her last piano lesson just weeks before moving to Utah. Once all her children were in school, she took a job with the Vallejo School District doing music

classes where she would play the piano and sing in the local rest homes and psychiatric facilities. For many of the residents it was the highlight of their week.

Quaila was extremely patriotic – she loved America. She and Paul wrote scripts for patriotic firesides that they would put on together for about 20 years for the 4 th of July. There were rehearsals, music to teach the Primary kids, programs to format, refreshments to arrange and more. These events were much beloved by her friends and Ward family.

Quaila is survived by her husband, Paul Atwater, her children, Donald (Sheila) Atwater, Ogden, Utah; Joan (Nicholas) Jenkins, Vallejo, California; Carol Atwater, Omaha, Nebraska; James (Taryn) Atwater, Vallejo, California; Samuel (Breanna) Atwater, Omaha, Nebraska; seven grandchildren, including Serena, Josh, Paul, Katie, Emma, Jean, and Amos; by her brothers, Kirk (Marcia) Newren, Coralles, New Mexico; Edward (Deana) Newren, Syracuse, Utah; and by her sister, Terry (D.W.) DeWitt; Everett, Washington; and by her uncles and aunts, and by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents, by her sister-in-law, Diane Denning Newren, by her nephew Benjamin Edward Newren, by her sister-in-law, Kathleen Ruth (Atwater) Christensen and Kathleen’s husband, Allen Clare Christensen.

A Memorial Celebration of Life Services will be held in Utah and in California.

The Utah Services will be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at 2 p.m. Mountain Time at the Adams Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3270 Orchard Avenue, Ogden. Friends may visit with family on Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the church. 

Utah services will be live-streamed and available the day of the services by scrolling to the bottom of Quaila's obituary page at: www.lindquistmortuary.com where condolences may also be shared. 

The California Services will be held on Friday, June 14, 2024, at 11 a.m. Pacific Time at the Vallejo Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 110 Los Santos Court, Vallejo. Friends may visit family on Friday from 9:30 to 10:30 at the church.

California services will live streamed the day of the services at: https://zoom.us/j/92004408307  

Interment, Salt Lake City Cemetery, at a future date.

Services are entrusted to Lindquist Ogden Mortuary.