Ora Lee (Mendenhall) Kerr

KAYSVILLE – Our beloved Ora Lee Mendenhall Kerr, 94, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on May 26, 2020. 

Ora Lee was born on August 15, 1925 at the Mendenhall family home in Dayton, Idaho, to Willis and Natolie Andersen Mendenhall.  She was raised in Clifton, Idaho along with her nine siblings.  In 1943 she graduated as valedictorian of her senior class.

Ora Lee married Fred Louis Kerr on March 5, 1948 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple.  They celebrated 54 wonderful years of marriage prior to his death in 2002.  They were blessed with a large family and together they raised nine children in Roy, Utah.

She was an active member of the LDS church.  She exemplified true qualities of unwavering faith, gratitude, service and charity.  She always put others’ needs above her own.  She led by example and parented with love, affection, and a gentle hand leaving each of her nine children to honestly believe they were her favorite child. 

As a mother of two deaf children she faced life’s challenges with determination and hope. Ora Lee served four years as President of the Utah Chapter of the International Association of Parents of the Deaf.  She also served on the Human Rights Committee at Wide Horizon Care Center, an intermediate care facility for People with Intellectual Disabilities.

She was a lifetime member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.  She served on the Weber County West Company, Weber Roy Company Board, and the Lakeview Camp.  She volunteered at the Ogden Pioneer Museum for many years.

Ora Lee enjoyed cultivating and pampering her large gardens of iris and beautiful flowers. She was an avid Utah Jazz fan.  She enjoyed cooking and baking.  She had a positive impact on everyone she met and shared life-long lessons along the way.  She was adored by young and old for her kindness and positive demeanor.  She was independent, resourceful, dedicated, and fully committed to everything she set out to achieve.  She kept a daily journal of her life and journaled up until a few hours before her death.     

Above all, Ora Lee believed her greatest lifetime accomplishment was her posterity.  She loved and adored her large family more than anything in life.  Her grandchildren were her pride and joy.  She followed their accomplishments, praised and supported them, and was their biggest cheerleader.

Ora Lee is survived by five sons and two daughters, Terry (Kathy), Ogden; Brad (Shauna), Centerville; Kevin, Spokane, WA; Suzanne (Norman) Reese, Ogden; Roger (Christiane), Bountiful; Tim (Janine), Phoenix, AZ; Wendy (Terry) Loock, Layton; 27 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren, and 15 great-great-grandchildren.  She is also survived by her brother Arlo (Joyce) Mendenhall, St. Anthony, Idaho, and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her spouse, Fred Kerr, two sons, Ronnie and Jeffrie Kerr, her parents, five brothers, three sisters, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

The family would like to thank the many physicians and their staffs, Intermountain Homecare & Hospice, and Intermountain Palliative Care for providing the highest level of health care during the past five years of her life.  The efforts of Utah Senior Planning, Envision Home Health & Hospice, Dr. Robert Mohr, and the loving staff and administration of The Villas at Baer Creek in caring for our Mother will never be forgotten.

Due to risks associated with Covid-19, private services will be held for her immediate family members at Myers Mortuary in Roy, Utah.  In lieu of attending the service, friends and loved ones are encouraged to participate in the celebration of Ora Lee’s life by accessing the live stream funeral video on her obituary page at www.myers-mortuary.com.      

The live video stream will begin 5 minutes before the listed time of 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2020.

www.facebook.com/myersmortuary

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to the charity of your choice, or to those on the front-line of the Covid-19 battle.

Interment at Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, 1718 Combe Rd., Ogden, UT. Saturday, May 30, 2020 1:00 PM.

Send condolences to the family at www.myers-mortuary.com.

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