Elda Maxine Petty Cameron Obituary (1923

Our beloved MOM and Gramine passed away peacefully the morning of June 21, 2023 in Murray, Utah just 50 days short of her 100th birthday. Her daughter was with her at the time of her passing. The cause was incidental to age. Maxine was born at home on August 10, 1923 in Nephi, Utah. She is the youngest child of Ira Manoya Petty and Margaret May Bennett Petty. Maxine’s mother taught her to read before she went to kindergarten. Because of this she skipped kindergarten and was promoted to the first grade. Later in life she said that skipping kindergarten was one of the biggest mistakes of her life. She didn’t like being the youngest in the class. Maxine’s father passed away when she was 12 years old, leaving her widowed mother to raise 5 children. Maxine's mother moved her and her older sister, Elaine, to Provo to try to make a living cooking for and housing BYU students. At that time, Maxine asked her mother if she could repeat a grade so she could be the same age as her classmates, and she was allowed to do so. After a couple of years in Provo the family moved back to Nephi where her mother worked for the railroad as a telegrapher. Maxine graduated from Juab High School in 1941 where she was Vice President of the student body, a leader in the “Posture Parade,” and was voted “Most Popular Girl." She sang the lead in the school musical and played the piano in a dance band on the weekends. Maxine met J Elliot Cameron on the first day of her freshman year at Branch Agricultural College (now known as Southern Utah University) in Cedar City, Utah. She had heard of Elliot through sports where he was All-State in football and basketball. He ran for freshman class president, she ran for freshman class vice-president, and they both won! They began their courtship, and after about 15 months they were married in the Manti, Utah LDS Temple when they were both 19 years old. It was a cold December 23rd, and the only person who could go with them to the temple was Maxine’s mother---who cried all the way there. Elliot and Maxine had very little means. There was no wedding dress, no luncheon, no photographs, no flowers, no wedding cake, no reception, and no honeymoon. Maxine and Elliot started their professional career after Dad served in World War II. Their first son was born during Dad’s service, and they had 3 additional children. They also raised a foster Navajo son, Anthony Beyal, for 10 years as part of the Indian Placement Program. They took in a “foreign exchange” student from Italy, Piero Giadrossi, who lived with them during his senior year in high school in Logan, Utah. Maxine claimed these sons as her own. Maxine was at Elliot’s side throughout their life as he began his career in education. They lived in Provo, Utah (student and teacher); Duchesne, Utah (high school principal); Monroe, Utah (high school principal); Richfield, Utah (Sevier County Superintendent of Schools); Ephraim, Utah (President of Snow College); Logan, Utah (Dean of Students at Utah State University); Provo, Utah (Brigham Young University Dean of Students and BYU Vice President of Student Affairs); Laie, Hawaii (President of BYU-Hawaii); Salt Lake City, Utah (Commissioner of LDS Church Education); and back to Provo (President of the Provo LDS Temple), National President of the Sons of the Utah Pioneers during its sesquicentennial celebration period. Maxine and Elliot were the Sons of the Utah Pioneers Outstanding National Couple in 1996. A long list of LDS General Authorities and dignitaries stayed in their home over the years. Maxine was a wonderful hostess, and she served many memorable meals to these special guests. Maxine took university classes wherever they lived. At BYU she was a music major, and in her composition class she got an “A” on every composition. A highlight of this experience was when a professor wrote on her composition, “This is a masterpiece." Maxine was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda. Maxine was a superb piano accompanist. When she was young her mother would say, “I’ll do the dishes if you’ll practice the piano,” and Maxine graciously obliged. Her skill on the piano served her well throughout her life. She accompanied many choirs, vocalists, and instrumentalists long into her nineties. Early in her marriage, she sang in a women’s quartet that placed 2nd in a national competition in Miami, Florida. She accompanied and sang with the Ralph Woodward Chorale, and she accompanied the BYU Children’s Choir directed by Margaret Woodward. Maxine taught piano lessons after school in her home for decades. She also taught piano at BYU for 15 years and at BYU-Hawaii for 6 years. The piano was one of her first loves. When her eyesight declined, Maxine would play from memory without written music. All she needed was a list of songs with a key signature next to them. One of her recent favorites was “If Ever I Would Leave You” from Camelot. She played the piano in her home until the week she passed away. Maxine was an exceptional organist who had a knack for just the right arrangements of the hymns to play for prelude and postlude. Her organ playing was heavenly. She was released as a ward organist after 70 years of service when she could no longer see the Hymnbook. Maxine organized the “Forty Fingers” piano quartet, and she absolutely loved playing “2 pianos, 40 fingers." She arranged some of the music herself and loved the friends with whom she played. She said recently, “If you want to have fun, get 3 more piano players and play 40 fingers together. That is the most fun!” Maxine learned to “creative” dance from her older sister, LaVeve. Maxine loved to dance and to teach dancing. She taught in her basement for years. She loved to tap dance and was still tap dancing and teaching friends to tap dance in her eighties until her unsuccessful hip replacement kept her from moving as easily. Maxine loved a good joke. She performed a comedy routine at most family reunions and always had a new joke to tell us. “She is so skinny! How skinny is she? She is so skinny, she doesn’t wear a tutu, she wears a one-one!” With the birth of her first grandchild, Maxine assigned herself the name “Gramine.” All of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren have affectionately called her this name throughout their lives. Maxine loved to sew and knit. She made her own clothes into her late eighties, and she knitted a blanket and hat for each grandchild and great-grandchild with a printed label that read “My first hat made by Gramine." She sewed coats and knitted hats for many humanitarian projects. She knitted dresses, sweaters, coats, and a bedspread for herself. She sewed 17 long white dresses for brides without a special dress to wear in the Provo temple. Maxine was an avid BYU fan. She always looked forward to the upcoming football and basketball seasons to which she held season tickets for 60 years. She was a member of and attended BYU Women for 50 years. Maxine was a devoted and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in callings including Relief Society President, ward and stake organist, choir director, ordinance worker in the Laie Hawaii temple, and Matron of the Provo LDS temple. She and Elliot served a two-year LDS mission in Salt Lake City, training temple missionaries. She was rock-solid in her faith and in her testimony of our Savior. Maxine’s children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchild brought her the most joy. She loved each and every one with all her heart. Maxine is preceded in death by her husband, Elliot; her oldest son, Bruce; and her granddaughter Gena. She is survived by her children; daughter-in-law Carolyn (Bruce) Cameron of Payson, Utah; Kim (Melinda) Cameron of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Kerry Lynn (Don) Herrin of South Salt Lake, Utah; Preston (Tami) Cameron of Mesa, Arizona; and Anthony (Brenda) Beyal of Mapleton, Utah; 23 grandchildren; 76 great-grandchildren; and 1 great-great-granddaughter. The family would like to extend love, appreciation, and thanks to the staff at The Abbington of Murray, Utah for their excellent and tender care of Maxine during the past year. In Provo she was lovingly cared for by her Visiting Angels, Donna Barnett and Kathy Stevens. Wonderful neighbors and ward members also helped care for her. We are so grateful for these exceptional caregivers and friends. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 8, 2023 at the Grandview 9th Ward Chapel, 1555 North 1350 West, Provo, Utah. The family will receive friends from 10-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment in Eastlawn Memorial Hills Cemetery, Provo, Utah. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com. If you are unable to attend, you are invited to a Zoom webinar. When: Jul 8, 2023 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Topic: July 8th, 11:00am Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/95192333451?pwd=dFdlTkFQZkNJd0JMRlpuUmw1RE1FZz09 Passcode: 038565