Truie Alison Weekes

Click Here to View Tribute Video

Truie Alison Wanlass Weekes passed away Tuesday, November 6, 2012 in Ogden, Utah, following a long battle with Parkinson''s disease.

She was born July 15, 1931, in Magna, Utah, to James Fowkes Wanlass and Evelyn Jane Woolstenhulme Wanlass. She was the fourth child, joining brother, William James "Bill" and sisters, Evelyn Rachel and Nora Elizabeth.

Mother''s first memories are of being at her grandmother''s home in Chapin, Idaho where the family moved prior to her 3rd birthday. The family lived with grandmother until their own home was complete and they moved about a quarter of a mile away. After moving, Mother and her sisters would frequently walk to grandmother''s house. Between the houses were some trees which always had robin''s nests in them and they would climb the trees to peer into the nests to inspect the eggs and after the eggs hatched, watched the little birds, making sure never to harm the eggs or the birds.

Mother started school in Chapin, in the winter, riding in the sleigh with warm bricks or rocks wrapped under the cover of quilts to help keep them warm. As the weather warmed, they were able to walk on top of the snow as it had crusted and was as deep as the fence posts, or they rode the horse down the lane.

Mother wrote, "When my sister Nora would start to cinch up the saddle, the horse would turn and bite her."

Because Chapin was about 90% Latter-day Saint, they would walk from school to the church next door to attend the Primary program for children. When the school burned down, they went to school in the little church.

Mother wrote, "I fondly remember the Christmas plays and programs and other plays and programs I participated in, in connection with school and Primary. I many times sang the solo/lead parts and loved it. I also sang solos for church. One of my school teachers taught some of girl''s tap dancing and I loved that, but was never really a dancer."

Her father played the violin and often played for dances in the area and would turn on the radio to practice and the whole family enjoyed singing along. This love for music carried through her life and she always sang in the choir at church, at Boise State University and other musical groups around Boise.

Mother was very close to her Daddy and often accompanied him to the store in town where the men sat around the fire and talked. She treasured these times as her father passed away when she was just 15 years old. It was a very sad time for the family and made life on the farm very difficult with older brother Bill off in the war. Bill was called home to help the family run the farm.

On October 31, 1949, Mother married her sweetheart, Merrill Thompson Weekes. They were blessed with seven children and "adopted" many others along the way. They had a wonderful but hard life, but lived their life centered around the gospel of Jesus Christ and found great joy in living it. Mother and Dad moved the family from Billings, Montana to Phoenix, Arizona in August of 1968 in an attempt to better Dad''s health. They loved the hot weather, swimming in their pool and driving through the desert. In 1982, they moved back to the Boise they loved so much. They lived first in Boise, then moved to Emmet for a few years and then back to Boise where they lived until Dad''s death in 1994. After a few years, Mother moved to Jackson, Wyoming to be closer to her sisters. As her health began to fail, she moved to Utah to live with her daughter, Alison. She so enjoyed being with Alison and her family, but decided she wanted to move back to Boise where she lived with her daughter, Marianne and her husband, before returning to Utah to live once again with Alison, who lovingly cared for her until a few months ago when she entered a nursing home.

Mother leaves behind her sons, Francis Scott, David Merrill, Samuel Charles and Richard Alden (Diana), and her daughters, Linda Irene (Jeff) Lowry, Marianne (Joel) Anthony, and Alison Beardall. She also leaves her dear sister, Nora (Alva) Richins, her sister-in-law, Leila Wanlass, and many nieces and nephews, 21 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren, who love and adore her and will miss her terribly.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Merrill, her brother, Bill, sister, Evelyn, baby daughter, Evelyn Jane, grandson, Nathan Jones, and infant great-granddaughters, Addison Wedow and Aryn Foutz.

The family will meet with friends Friday, November 9th from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist''s Roy Mortuary, 3333 West 5600 South, Roy, Utah.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, November 10th at 2 p.m. at the Victor City Cemetery in Victor, Idaho.