Corilee Spendlove Southern Obituary (1948

Our beloved Corilee Spendlove Southern returned to her Heavenly Father on September 26, 2022. She passed peacefully without pain surrounded by her loving and devoted husband with all nine of their children and several other family members. Corilee was born on February 5, 1948, in Salt Lake City Utah, to Vaughn Denzel Spendlove and Marjorie Mower. She was the third of six children, and came from a very loving, close family. She was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was raised in a strong gospel-centered home and learned her love of the gospel and of the scriptures from her father. She learned to love beautiful landscapes from her mother. She attended West High School where she was in the Girl’s Chorus, Junior Choir, and Acapella. She loved singing, a gift which she passed to her children. She had a great love for creating beautiful art, particularly oil painting landscapes. Throughout her life, she painted around 40-50 paintings, many of which are cherished by her children. Her home was always filled with her artwork. She met her sweetheart, Joseph Maury Southern, while attending Brigham Young University. They were married on November 10, 1967, in the Salt Lake City Temple. In their 55 years of marriage, they shared all the joys and challenges of raising a large family. They lived in various places in the Salt Lake area and spent a few years in New York and North Carolina. Their children were primarily raised in Orem Utah, where they lived for 22 years. Some of our fondest memories were spent as a family. These include holding early morning family scripture study, working in the yard, singing together, discussions about not playing the Ungame, vacationing at Bear Lake, and drives in the canyon. She loved to spend time with her grandchildren and always called them her babies. She particularly loved their hugs and the time she spent with them. One of her favorite activities with her grandchildren was to hide a toy mailbox full of candy and help them search for it. Many of the grandchildren remember this with joy. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, Corilee was very faithful in the gospel all her life. She loved attending the temple and studying her scriptures. She served four service missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: at the Employment Resource Center, as an “investigator” at the Provo MTC, as a hostess at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and as a seminary assistant at the Utah State Mental Hospital. She influenced the lives of many for good. Her children and grandchildren are especially grateful for her testimony and her example as a servant of her Savior. She struggled for most of her adult life with various medical and emotional challenges, which she faced with courage and faith and without complaint. We know that she is now free from the pain and suffering of her mortal body. She has had a sweet reunion with those who passed before her, particularly with her parents and her brother Stephen. These were the ones she was most looking forward to seeing. She is survived by her husband Joseph, her nine children David (Melissa), Jennifer, Janice, Jonathan (Tiffany), Michael (Janelle), Adam (Stacey), Seth (Karla), Emilee (Daniel Harshberger), and Michelle (Steven Saltzgiver); 26 grandchildren, and many siblings and extended family. The family would like to thank the staff at Utah Valley Hospital for their care during her frequent hospitalizations. A special thanks to Jacque with Auburn Crest Hospice for her loving care as well as Loren with Senior Partners for her kind companionship through the last few weeks of Corilee’s mortal life. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at the Sunset 10th Ward Chapel, 1402 South 570 West, Provo, Utah. Visitations will be held at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, Monday, October 3, from 6-8:00 p.m. and at the church Tuesday from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Timpanogos Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.bergmortuary.com. You are invited to attend Corilee's services LIVE: https://youtube.com/channel/UCOkDtSNk3xQ3Nyj2Lo6LtGA?si=EMSIkaIECMiOmarE6JChQQ