Yvonne Halls

Anna Yvonne Barlow Halls (known to us all as Yvonne), age 69, passed away on March 26, 2018 at her home in Morgan, Utah, from pancreatic cancer.

Yvonne was born in Ogden, Utah on February 24, 1949 to I. Haven and Velma Kunzler Barlow.  Yvonne was the fourth of six children, three boys and three girls.  She was raised in a modest home on Gentile Street in Layton where her parents taught her the joy of loving God and serving others. She had an extraordinary love for her sister Marilyn who had special needs and she spent many hours in her service.

She met the love of her life, Brent Lyle Halls, on a blind date on December 2nd, 1966.  It was love at first sight.  They were married 3 ½ years later on August 21st, 1970 in the Salt Lake Temple following Brent’s return from an LDS mission to Finland.  They spent the entirety of their lives together, loving to be in each other’s company.  They raised their children together, they worked together, and they served together.

Yvonne was, first and foremost, devoted to her family, whom she taught by example and with love.  She loved being a mother even though it came with significant costs to her health.  She is remembered as being a beautiful, kind and loving mother by her children and the heart of her home. Yvonne always believed in her children and taught them their divine potential.  She established many family traditions that will live on in future generations.

She loved her Savior and the Gospel and was active her entire life in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She studied the scriptures and taught her children scripture stories from the time they were young.  She served in many callings that reflected her many talents.  A stake president once said of her “She has both the ability to envision something, and the talent to make it happen.”   She served as a Relief Society President, in Stake and Ward Relief Society Presidencies, and in Young Women Presidencies; as a teacher in the Primary, Sunday School and Relief Society organizations and as a Service and Activities Director, Family History Consultant and Ward Music Chairman, among other callings.

Her husband referred to her as his “Third Counselor” during his service as Bishop of the Enterprise Ward, as she was always at his side helping wherever she could.  Activities such as the Ward Christmas Programs, Annual Ward Camp-outs, Pioneer Day Parades and Ward Talent Shows reflected her influence.  She will be long remembered for the hundreds of loaves of ‘Friendship Bread’ shared with ward members, and for literally thousands of cookies baked and provided for ward members as they attended their annual tithing settlement with the Bishop.

In 2014, she and her husband were called to serve as members of the Ogden Temple Rededication Committee, where she served as the Hospitality Chairperson.  In that position she organized a committee of over 200 women who provided over 9000 meals to General Authorities, Area Religious Leaders, Community Leaders, Ogden Temple contractors and workers and their families, and the many, many others involved with the events of the Ogden Temple Open House and Rededication.

She spent many hours preserving pictures, histories and memories of family members and ancestors so they could be shared and enjoyed by others on Family Search.  She served to the end of her life and she and her husband recently completed a 2 ½ year mission as Utah Area North Church Service Missionary Coordinators in which they helped fill the staffing needs of 63 Church Operations in Northern Utah which utilized over 2000 Church Service Missionary volunteers representing the membership of 106 stakes.

Yvonne loved music.  She began learning the violin at age 8, and at age 13 the viola.  While not yet in High School, she was invited to join the Davis County High School Honor Orchestra as violist, and later played as a member of the All State Orchestra.  She was a founding member and principal violist of the Mormon Youth Symphony (which later became today’s ‘Orchestra on Temple Square’).  She played in numerous church productions, including “Promised Valley” at the Temple View Theater with the Salt Lake Temple as background, the first “World Conference on Records,” “Zion” in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, and Handel’s “Messiah” on many occasions.  She taught violin for over 20 years to dozens of students and served as President of the Davis County Suzuki Association for one year.  She co-authored a practice book for Suzuki Violin students that was used worldwide.

Although Utah was always “home”, she and her family lived for many years in California, Ohio, and Iowa.  In each of these places she occasionally worked in part-time positions in banking, music, or clerical support.  Her employers recognized her talents and offered her full-time positions, but she declined in order to be at home with her children.  Finally, as her children were older, she took a part-time position in the two-person “Special Sales Department” at Wm C. Brown Publishers, a publisher of college textbooks, where her husband also worked.  In the next 8 years she built that department into a twenty-million-dollar sales division with 25 employees, selling college textbooks and technology products for use in Advanced Placement High School and Community College courses.  When the company was sold, the family returned to Utah where she established a successful career as a realtor, serving clients in the Davis County and Ogden areas.  She then joined her husband and sons in building Emetrix an internet e-commerce business sold to Digital River in 2003, from which she and her husband retired in 2009.

Yvonne is survived by her husband, Brent, and her four children Michael (Tristan) Halls; Kaysville, Utah; Camille (Brent) Condie, Forney, Texas; David (Jessica) Halls, Morgan, Utah; and Lisa (David) Arner, Ramstein, Germany; 20 grandchildren, three of whom are currently serving LDS missions; and her brothers Charles, Ron and Gary Barlow.  She was preceded in death by her parents and sisters Marilyn Barlow and Velma Riley.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, March 30, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at the Enterprise Stake Center, 2755 W. Old Hwy Road in Morgan.  Friends may visit family Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road and Friday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Enterprise Stake Center.  Interment, Kaysville City Cemetery.