Lois Fay Twitchell Harward

A glorious reunion was held in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 15, 2018. Lois Fay Twitchell Harward, surrounded by all of her children and our dad, passed from this life into the next and into the waiting arms of her mom and daddy, Ruby Bunker and Melvin Twitchell. Melvin passed away when Lois was 8 years old. We rejoiced as we imagined this great reunion, yet felt the immense loss within our own hearts.

Lois Fay was born February 11, 1935 in Los Angeles, California and grew to be a happy, precocious, adored young lady and forever considered herself a California girl, even though she only lived there until she was 7. Her family moved first to Delta, Utah and shortly thereafter to Springville where her parents bought a farm. Mom’s life took a sad and serious downturn when her beloved daddy passed away much too early from pneumonia. Grandma was left to provide for her three young children so Lois Fay as oldest had to grow up quickly and care for her younger brothers, Mel and Rulon.

If you talked to mom very long you would certainly have heard the story of how she was working at Cook’s Ice Cream on Center Street in Provo when she was 14 and saw Verl Harward drive by in his convertible. When he came in she was immediately smitten and knew that she wanted to be with him forever. He took a little longer to be convinced, teasing her by driving up and down Center Street with girls in his car as mom cried and scooped ice cream. She finally did catch him when she was 16. Dad had received a mission call to the Northeastern States but the call was canceled with the beginning of the Korean War, so mom and dad got married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 7, 1951. Mom loved and cherished this story as she loved and cherished dad and shared it with anyone who would listen! Mom and dad moved to Edgemont in 1958 and spent their lives there until mom moved to a care center in 2014.

Mom and dad had six children: Lauralyn (Stephen) Oyler, Mel, Sharon (Ray) Lines, Annette van As, Paula (Ralph) Abbott, and Mike (Karen). Mom loved and scolded all of us, taught us how to love the Lord, read the scriptures, have faith and pray. Many times we would walk into her room to find her on her knees praying and tiptoe back out until she was finished. Her faith was strong and she could never resist sharing her testimony—even in the last months of her life at the care center.

Mom taught us to work: spring cleaning, fall cleaning, and Saturday cleaning is how we measured time, dreading it the whole while. Saturdays we were rewarded halfway through the day with drinks and candy bars from Harper’s Market across the street, it did help a little! If we weren’t cleaning we were canning, everything from split pea soup to apple pie filling filled the jars and the fruit room. Some of it was great—some not so great, but we did it all! And then if we were bored we would paint, move rooms, move furniture, and then move on to the yard work. Mom and dad were both hard workers and taught us well!

Mom loved the Lord, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the temple, and the scriptures. She played the organ in church for many, many, years and served in many capacities. She was a gifted pianist and taught piano lessons and touched many lives through her therapy/piano lessons. She sewed everything—even underwear—and we didn’t realize you could buy dresses from the store until we were in high school. If she could have made shoes she would! She loved to bake: sweet rolls, bread, pies and chocolates were a few of her specialities. She loved to eat lemons and would buy them by the case. Mom worked hard and loved hard. And we love her.

Mom loved people (especially her grandkids). She viewed everyone as someone to share her testimony with. We are most grateful to those that listened, especially those at the Canyon Breeze Care Center and Utah Home Health and Hospice and other friends and family who loved and served her to the end. Mom loved them and we are grateful for their loving service to her.

We all tearfully say goodbye to Mom: dad, 6 children and their spouses, 36 grandchildren, 57 great grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, and her two brothers. She will be greatly missed is an understatement, but we rejoice with her as we envision her post-mortal reunion with her parents and grandson, Landon Harward, and the Savior whom she loved most of all!

Mom didn’t want us to be sad, so we will put our shoulder to the wheel ‘til we meet again! Love you mom!

Family and friends may visit with the family from 6-8:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at the Berg Drawing Room Chapel, 185 E. Center Street, Provo, Utah. Private funeral services will be held. Interment, Eastlawn Memorial Hills. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.