Funeral services in behalf of Lucy Sorensen Stucki Sperry, one whom we all loved. And we want to be sure everyone hears her beautiful story.

1. Funeral Services
for
Lucy Marie Sorensen Stucki Sperry
Thursday, January 8, 1998, 10:00 am
We welcome all of you most sincerely to this final service in behalf of Lucy Sorensen Stucki
Sperry, one whom we all loved. And we want to be sure everyone hears. If there is any problem
with sound or otherwise, we want you to let us know, so that the service is the way it should be.
I am Richard Stucki, Lucy’s son, and I have been asked to conduct. The family prayer, before the
service began, was offered by Scott Lemon. I am going to announce the balance of the program at
this time, and it will proceed without further announcement:
Prelude and postlude music was rendered by Lynnwood Christensen.
Invocation will be offered by Douglas Anderson.
There will be opening remarks by Calvin Sorensen.
A tenor solo, The Lord Is My Shepherd, by Kenneth Jones.
A speaker Denise Jones.
A musical selection on the French Horn, Kathryn Anderson.
A poem, Remembering Grandma, an original I believe, by Lois Crawley.
A speaker Nancy Kohler.
A violin solo, John Gardner, I’ll Walk With God, accompanied by Krista Warthen.
Then I’ve been asked to speak, and the benediction after a few closing remarks by myself, will be
by Mark Christensen.
The Invocation now by Douglas Andersen:
Our Father in Heaven
As we meet here today, we pray for thy spirit to be with us. We thank thee for our lives here on
earth for the opportunities that we have to learn and grow. Father, we pray for thy blessings as
thou seest fit. We pray thee to strengthen and support those who are participating on the program
today. And again we thank thee, Father, for the beautiful memories that we have, and trust in thy
care. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Calvin Sorensen:
I appreciate being asked to say a word or two for my sister Lucy. And I pray that the Spirit of the
Lord will be with me, and that I may express the things that are in my heart towards her that
might help you in your lives.
Lucy Marie Sorensen Stucki Sperry - each of these names has an important element in the life of
Lucy and the love that she extends to all of us. Lucy has a strong Scandinavian ancestry, and we
need to look back to that to see where she came from and why she ended up in Ephraim. Both of

2. her grandparents and her father emigrated from the Scandinavian countries. Sorn with his
parents, Peter Christian and Anna Christina, emigrated from Denmark, and Sorn was eight years
old when he came to America. And they were located in Ephraim because of Elder Frost who
they loved very much and converted them to the church and brought them to his home town
which was Ephraim. Also on his maternal side the parents of Lily, John August Andersen
emigrated from Sweden, and he was the only Swede grandparent she had because he married a
Danish girl from Ephraim after he had emigrated here.
It was in Ephraim that she knew her grandparents, and Sorn and Lily raised their family until
Lucy was nineteen years old. When they decided to move to Salt Lake, and they moved to 139
South 12th
East which was just below the university so that their family and the older ones could
go to the university.
Lucy completed and graduated from Snow College but continued to go to University of Utah
after they had moved up here. My relationship with Lucy was she may claim that she helped raise
me. But I was born a year after they moved up here, and she meet and fell in love with Bill
Stucki, William Stucki, at the university about seven months after I was born. So as I look at the
dates today, I think she was maybe exaggerating a little bit about how much influence she had on
me through these first seven months of my life.
I need to say something about Bill because the posterity here mostly is all the life between Lucy
and Bill. The best example of Bill, we worked together in the store, is that he was without guile.
He was a very humble great person and a very religious person. And he was a great influence on
me as I grew up as a young boy. I think Richard, if you look at Richard, you know a little bit
about his father. Because there is a lot of his father in Richard. And we’re grateful for the
influence that that they’ve had. Well you look at the posterity that comes from their family:
Barbara and Richmond Andersen, and Margaret and Lynn Christensen, and Bonnie and Arial
Gudmundson. And all of their children and grandchildren which now their posterity reaches 25
grandchildren, 98 great grandchildren, and now 3 great, great grandchildren. Now you can
imagine what this relationship is to me when I am the brother of their great, great grandmother.
Lucy lived a full and productive life raising her family with Bill, and she always wanted to be
involved with her family greatly, with her ward, church, and in her ward was very active and
participated.
Then in 1944, she opened a dress and gift shop and used her first given names, Lucy Marie, and
combined them and called it LaRies.
LaRies opened in Sugarhouse, and oh, how much her brothers appreciated her because she would
put aside, preselect and put aside, that special gift for our wives. And it made it easy to have
something special that we knew our wives really enjoyed. Not only did she do this but mother
who always loved Christmas and had many to buy for, Lucy would take time in her busiest time
of the year to help mother put together the things for the family for Christmas.

3. Bill was extremely good to mother. They lived not too far in the Graystone complex there. And
Bill was forever doing special things to help and make mother’s life more comfortable.
They we’re great together and lived a full and great life as the posterity indicates today, and as
you meet the family, and you can see how much love has been extended and is shown in the
family as it is today. Well LaRies had expanded to five locations. And Richard, Lynn, and Bill
gave great support while I don’t think he was greatly involved in it, but with this support this
grew and for thirty years thrived.
Lucy had an older brother, Horace, and then there were three girls, Fay Andersen, and Lucy was
the middle of the three girls, and then Mable Knowle Clayton. And then a series of brothers
again. there was Morgan and then we had a brother by the name of Maynard. I’ve had a few calls
asking about Horace’s son Maynard. Horace named Maynard after our brother Maynard died
when he was only three years old. And then there was Gordon, and then myself. The survivors
are Richard and Marge, Barbara and Richmond, Margaret Christensen and Lynnwood, Bonnie
Gudmundsen and Ariel. Also Elaine Sorensen who is the wife of Gordon and myself Calvin
Sorensen and my wife Becky. All of us have been products of the love of Lucy.
Bill died in August of 1977 and was greatly missed by Lucy. And then she met with Rulon
Sperry who lost his wife in the interim of this time and in 1980 they enjoyed each other and
decided to get married which they did and shared families and experiences and had a great life
together, so this adds the Sperry name on the end of Lucy’s name and was a great time in her life.
This lasted for only four years, but during these four years was a great blend and we see some of
Rulon’s family here and we do want you know how much we appreciate the contributions to
Lucy’s life and the love that they had for each other.
Lucy was very generous. She helped her posterity in their talents. She had many talents of her
own. We know of her kindness and loving nature and her positive outlook, helping with problem
solving abilities. She was a good mother, a good grandmother, and also a good business woman.
In closing I would like to give you a scripture that was taken from John 16. This was the time
when Christ was explaining to the apostles why he was going to leave and then return and
without telling the full details of what’s happening and also that when he did finally leave that
the Holy Ghost would remain to guide us. And in the last verse 33 he makes this statement
“These things I have spoken unto you that ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulations.
But be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.”
Christ does support, and the good things of the world come through Christ. Christ has been a
great influence in this family. And we bear our testimony of the truthfulness of these things
which make us what we are and the good things that we are. And I say this in the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen.
The Lord Is My Shepherd, sung by Kenneth Jones
Denise Jones:

4. When I called Jackie Knowles (that was Jackie Knowles that played) when I called her to ask if
she would play for me, she asked me for my name and I told her and she said “Aunt Lucy!”
Grandma has affected so many people she has descendants that have affected other people. It is
exciting to me to speak about her today. It is exciting to celebrate a great lady. I know that many
of the things we touched upon as we speak. So I’ll just try and share with you some of the traits
that I remember of Grandma that will spark some of the memories you have and you can smile
and celebrate her.
The first thing that came to my mind was her sense of humor. I remember even in her later years
when she’d sit and reminisce and tell stories of childhood and her young years. She would
chuckle as she related things that meant a lot to her but that were funny and she still enjoyed
them. I remember her talking about Grandpa Stucki when they were courting, and they had
become engaged and Grandpa was having fun, playful at the time of Christmas and washed her
face in the snow, and she gave him back his ring. Obviously she took it back again. And it’s just
fun to remember that laughter and that twinkle in her eyes. She had a little bit of a mischievous
twinkle at times in those eyes. And I loved that.
She was a persistent optimist; she was both persistent and an optimist. Many of you will
remember eating at Colonial Pines apartments. She was a cook. Oh, she could cook. And she
always wanted to give you more, and more, and more. She wanted to fill you up inside, but her
love is what really filled us up there.
She was an optimist. You all remember that one of her favorite sayings perhaps, “If you get a
lemon, make a lemonade,” and she truly did this. She lived through the Depression. Anything
that life threw to her, if it was good she savored it; if it was bad, it was a lemon, it was sour, she
made it into a lemonade.
She learned to sew all her own clothes. She sewed all her children’s clothes from the things
underneath to the things outside. She was a tremendous seamstress and tailor. She could take
apart a suit and make it into other clothes for children, or she could make the suit in the first
place. We still have a few things that she made at our house and just to look at the fine stitch and
needlework is amazing to me and it brings her so close.
She was a business woman. Byron remembers her bustling around her stores at 90 miles a
minute. And he had to be pretty little, but she was so impressive so vital and so compassionate of
her employees.
She was a lady. Above all else I can say about her she was a lady. In her deportment, her manner
of dress, the way she kept herself, the way she kept her apartment. Everything about her was
meticulous, but it fit her. It was just her. We have to celebrate that. She loved fine things, but
more than that she loved good things. She believed in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent,
virtuous and in doing good to all men. Anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or
praiseworthy, those are the things she sought after.

5. She was a world traveler. You can remember her telling and showing you about different places
she went by all of the things in her apartment. She would take time to take the grandchildren and
the great grandchildren around and show where things were from. And we could point out
anything “Where’s that from Grandma?” and she’d take it out of her curio cabinet and show it to
us. And I remember later on when she knew that it was time to be moving on, she’d start giving
those things away ─ and enjoying that. She was always giving, always giving to us.
She was a learner. When she was 80 years old or 85 I don’t remember how old she was, but it
was very old. It was since she moved out to Bountiful. And she said something, she said “Oh that
is so neat. I just learned that!” and it struck me again how she was always learning, even at that
age, that we looked to her as someone who had got it, and she was still learning. She would get
books. I remember the books lined up at the Cottonwood Mall store on business. And I was
amazed that this lady was my grandmother.
She had, my computer I cannot get into counting the descendants, but the last count I made was
128 and that’s without spouses and she counted those spouses. She counted everyone and she
sent us all cards for as long as she could. Can you imagine? A hundred fifty cards, birthday cards
always with a crisp dollar bill or a check or always something in it. And her handwriting. I found
something the other day that says “I love you”, something she slipped in with something she’d
given to me. Amazing that love and that time that it took to do that. I wish some of that
organization had rubbed off on me.
She was above all else a mother of mothers, a mother of grandmothers, a mother of great
grandmothers. She’d be so excited, and I know she is, that were gathered together. She was an
anchor to our family. I can feel the strength that she gave us just by being here.
She had the gift of intuition spiritual gift. She had dreams that were from God, and she knew
that. When I was expecting my first daughter (I didn’t know she was a girl then), I had to go to
bed about four and a half months, and I wanted that baby so badly. I had to go to bed, and it was
a threat miscarriage. And boy I didn’t want to lose her. And Grandma called me, and she said “I
had a dream.” I love that. When Grandma says “I had a dream” you listen, and I learned that. And
I wish I could share a lot more with you, but there is not enough time. But she said “I had a
dream. I dreamt that I came to your place, and we walked in and you showed me in the cradle a
beautiful baby girl.” And I knew at that moment that I would be ok and that I would have a baby
girl. And not many months later I brought that baby girl to her apartment and put her in her arms.
She was 5 lbs 15. And she was perfect. And Grandma knew she would be.
Another dream that she had in later years, several times, many times. She dreamt she would be
lying asleep, I remember specifically one time she was lying on her couch, her rose-colored
couch with the fabric from France (I have to mention that because she loved fabric. She loved to
feel the texture even when she was a little girl). But she was laying on that couch and she
couldn’t tell whether she was asleep or if her eyes were closed, but there were people around her.
She heard voices discussing her with love and if was time for her to come home yet, if it was
time. I must admit she was disappointed when she woke up and found it wasn’t time yet.
Sometimes she really wanted to go right then. If she could have, she would have jumped in and
said “Yeah. Let’s go.” But she knew that she still lived for a reason. And I pondered this for a

6. long time. Besides the fact that she is an anchor to the family and that we love to have her here.
We love to visit her and feel that love, that love she poured out. And we could just see it in her
eyes. Besides that it allowed us an opportunity to learn the value of aging. She showed us how to
do it. How to grow old and still endure, still be strong, still love. She gave love even when she
couldn’t give all the ideas and thoughts that were in her heart, in her spirit. The love was still felt.
I saw that love when she cared for two grandfathers in her last years. And I saw that love
reflected in the love of Uncle Richard as he cared for her. And the people of Beehive Homes that
cared for her with a great love and adopted her as their grandmother. She showed us how to care
for those that are getting older. If we never had people who were getting older, how could we feel
what Grandma has given us in her later years.
Grandma’s was a legacy of love. I don’t think there’s anyone here who hasn’t felt that love. She
was a woman of faith. I speak in the past tense because that’s what we tend to do, but I know
Grandma still has that same love that we feel. She still has that love. And she is as vital as she
ever was when she bustled around that store at 90 miles a minute; in fact, she is more so. And she
knew with all her heart, and I know with all my heart and soul in ways that I cannot touch and
cannot yet see, but with every fiber of myself, that Jesus Christ died ─ he showed us how to live,
and then he died for us ─ and then he rose again, breaking the bands of death. She knew this. And
death was sweet to her. That same grandmother that loves us, we will again see her face to face.
She knew this. I know this. And we will feel those strong arms hugging us again, those arms that
didn’t want to ever let us go. And look into those eyes that said “I love you.” In the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Musical selection on the French Horn, Kathryn Anderson
Lois Crawley:
A year ago on Grandma’s birthday, I was missing her really bad when she was in Moab. And I
decided to write a poem for my family about Grandma.
Remembering Grandma
Remember the smile curving her lips.
The twinkle in blue eyes, as if she had a secret.
Remember Christmases with cousins
Where Santa magically delivered a bulging bag of gifts tagged in her handwriting.
Remember sisters playing Romeo and Juliet from her high-railed porch,
We never knew she was our audience.
Remember Sunday visits, singing canary in golden cage, musical Swiss chalet.
Rice krispie balls hiding marshmallow and carmel, and a crisp dollar bill as we kissed
goodbye.
Remember splashing, playfully in her pool.
We waved to Grandma who watched from her window.
Remember the treasure-filled curio cabinet, memories of world travel safe behind glass.
Now shared with posterity.
Remember the goodies freely given, Hershey’s kisses, suckers from the tree,
samples of marmalade, jelly, and jam.
A smile still curves her lips. Her blue eyes still sparkle and dance.

7. She has shared with us her secret. The secret is love.

8. Nancy Kohler:
I’m Nancy Kohler. I was thinking how honored I am to have been Grandma’s first-born
grandchild, and the steps that I’m following. One of the things I’m doing that follows in
Grandma’s steps is I love other countries. And I have been traveling, and studying different
languages. And I want to say a little something to you in Espanió. “Abuela” mean’s Grandmother
in Spanish, “Abuela.” “Abuela no es muerto. Abuela es libre.” “Grandmother is not dead.
Grandmother is free.”
Grandmother had a highly-developed sense of the beautiful and refined taste. She always dressed
with style, walked with style, spoke with grace. A memory I have of her as a little, little girl was
sitting watching grandma get all gussied up for the day. And she would sit at her little vanity with
a mirror and powder. She would take these (in those days there wasn’t hairspray, I guess. They
had these little laquer pads, and I remember these laquer pads. And she would take and slick back
her hair and I was just so amazed. And I’d say “Grandma, do that to me.” And she’d kind of fake
it. “Grandma can I wear lipstick?” And she’d put the cap back on the lipstick and then rub the
cap on me. And I knew, as young as I was, I knew there was no lipstick going on, but we both
pretended there was.
And Grandma one time put on a hat. And I was just tiny, but I remembered saying “Oh Grandma,
I like that!” and for the rest of my life she told me this story how I said “Oh Grandma, I like
that!” as such a little child.
I remember one time as a teenager saying “Grandma. I have really good taste. Don’t I?” and you
know how teenagers, how we are, most of us have been through that. And she gave me the
closest to a reprimand she ever did. She just stopped she looked at me and she said “You have
been taught good taste.” And I’ll never forget that lesson that she gave me. And she did give that
gift to me and the rest of us. Also, my very favorite story that has set me on the course of my life,
I like to share with you. I always wanted to draw and to paint. And I know there are many of you
here that understand that. And I had this dream of getting oil paints. Now, you know when you
kids, we start pestering our parent’s for something “Oh mom, oh dad, I have to have oil paints.”
“OK. Well, we’ll think about it, and we’ll work on it.” And I guess I was impatient, and it didn’t
happen fast enough. And it seemed to me it was years that went by, but it probably wasn’t that
long. But that dream was so strong. And finally Grandma came to visit. And I got Grandma
aside. And I said “Grandma, I have to talk to you privately. Grandma, I really I want oil paints so
bad. And I’ve talked to mom and dad. And I’ve talked to them, and nothing’s happening,
Grandma. Can you make something happen?” And we know that sparkle that gets in those blue
eyes. She patted my hand and she said “We’ll see what we can do.” And it wasn’t too much
longer and Grandma said “Let’s go out to lunch.” So she took me by my hand. I think I was 8 or
10. I was young. She said “Let’s go out to lunch.” And after lunch she said “Let’s go for a walk.”
We were standing in front of an art store. She opened the doors and said “Let’s go in.” And I
remember the smell of the oil paints. For the first time she said “Here is a sales lady. I’ve talked
to her. And she will get you everything you need to get started with your oil painting.” And,
anyway, that’s how it all started. And if you ever see an painting by Nancy Glazier, you’ll see a
reflection of Grandma’s love in that. You know she listened to the hearts of children, and she

9. understood. They say that the best reward for loving is being well loved. Grandmother, Grandma,
is as alive in my heart as she ever was. I feel such joy for her.
... with blue eyes that we will be a blessing to her throughout eternity. And I say these things
from the bottom of my heart. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
John Gardner:
I’m one of Grandma’s probably older great grandchildren. And I wanted, before we play, to share
an experience I had with her, probably about a year ago, when I went to have lunch with her. And
at that time, I asked her what some of her cherished and most memorable experiences that she
had had in her life were. And one that she continued to repeat over and over during the time that
we shared was the time of the passing of her own father. And she said as his time drew near for
him to pass to the other side, he gathered his family together and brought each of his children in
closely one by one, and took their hand and told them to come closer, to come closer. And she
repeated over and over to me the words that he told her “Always remember that your father loves
you.” And she repeated that phrase I don’t know how many times during the course of our lunch
and my visit with her. The number that we will be playing is I’ll Walk With God. And as
Grandma now does walk with God, it is our hope that we, too, here in this mortal life will
continue to walk with God, that we will be able to also return and live with our Heavenly Father
and be reunited with her, that we too will walk with God, both in his presence and here in this
life.
Violin solo, John Gardner, accompanied by Krista Warthen.
I’ll Walk With God
I’ll walk with God from this day on,
His helping hand, I’ll lean upon.
This is my prayer, my humble plea,
May the Lord be ever with me.
There is no death, though eyes grow dim.
There is no fear when I’m near to him.
I’ll lean on him forever.
And he’ll forsake me never.
He will not fail me, as long as my faith is strong
Whatever road I may walk along
I’ll walk with God. I’ll take his hand.
I’ll talk with God. He’ll understand.
I’ll pray to him, each day to him
And he’ll hear the words that I say.
His hand will guide my throne and rod
And I’ll never walk alone when I walk with God.

10. W. Richard Stucki:
Surely, this is one of the happiest days of Grandma’s life to be able to look down and see her
children and grandchildren and hear these beautiful, beautiful pieces of music and speakers and
know that she’s touched lives.
We each one thought “I was Grandma’s special one.” We all were. We all were. Grandma wrote
something. I refer to her that way (because) so many grandchildren and great grandchildren you
know her as Grandma. She is of course my mother.
She wanted you to understand:
When I am gone, do not weep or feel sorrow, for I will not be far away. Look at my going as part
of life and living. I just turned another page in the book of life and look forward to learn what I
can do to build a better journey for me and for each of you I left behind. Go forward. Live each
day to its fullest. And each try to live like Heavenly Father would like you to. Love one another
as I have loved each of you. Live close to Heavenly Father and seek his guidance and help in all
things. Read and study the Book of Mormon which is the true, pure word of God and worthy
counsel. Read the Doctrine & Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. Pray night and morning and
together and alone in private, anytime, any place when you feel the need for the Lord’s help and
guidance. He loves each of you and is always there.
Grandma was a remarkable lady. One of many, and I’m looking at some of the others. Why such
remarkable things happened in her life. This journey that she took for 94 years down the trails
and over the hills became special and noteworthy because she had a compass. And as she veered
off course and found things to stumble over and problems in her way from reaching the
destination, she had a compass to keep her on track and that was the Good Shepherd. The Light
of Christ that she had inside her heart. Her example has changed my life. I’d like to just tell you a
few things that have greatly touched me. The Savior as he ate with friends, walked the street,
went to the well to get a drink took every occasion to touch somebody’s life, to lift their spirits,
to heal the blind eyes and the blind hearts. Well, mother had a knack for doing that.
One day a young woman came into the shop. And if you had ever seen someone that looked like
a faded flower, she looked like it. Mother recognized her potential. What could happen if she
understood a few things about makeup and hair and clothes. Well mother waited on her. This was
when mother was waiting on quite a few people. She forgot that she was trying to sell her
something. She remembered that she was trying to help her blossom. When she got through, if
you ever saw a flower blossom again, it had happened for this woman.
In a few days a man came in “I want to talk to the lady that helped my wife.” She said “I was.”
He said “I want to tell you how much I appreciate what you did for her.” She believed strongly in
do unto others as you would have them do unto you and understood the application of the story
of the Good Samaritan as it fits into our world.
She needed an office girl, and she ran an ad. A very nice young woman came, just the right one.
She hired her, and she worked for several weeks and mother thought “There’s something going
on that I want to talk to her about.” And she called her in and said “Young woman I think your
expecting.” She said “Yes. I am expecting. My mother and dad, they’ve disowned me. I don’t

11. have any church. I don’t have any pastor to help. I don’t know what to do.” You know back fifty
years ago when a young woman was working and expecting they always said “We’ll let you go
now. And you can go home and take care of yourself and have your baby. Then we’ll see what
happens.” She said “Oh, don’t let me go. Please don’t let me go.” And Grandma said “I won’t let
you go. You can work here until the day the baby comes.” Well that day came, and she was
getting signed up to go to the hospital and have things happen, and they wouldn’t take her. She
couldn’t pay her bill, they didn’t think. Grandma said “Well, it’s all right because I’ll pay the bill
if she can’t.” And then Grandma sat by her while she had labor. Well the baby came, and things
happened, and the girl eventually went elsewhere. One day a young man like some I have seen
here today, some that have been up here on the stand here with me, came in and he said I want to
talk with Lucy Stucki. This young man said “I just want to tell you I married” and he mentioned
the girl’s name who had been the secretary “I want to tell you how much I appreciate what you
did for my wife when she was working for you and had a serious problem.” I think Grandma
would like me to say that all of us sometime or other in our lives get off track, like that girl did,
but there’s always someone waiting and anxious if we permit it to help us make the turnaround,
and it’s the Good Shepherd. He’s always there for us when we really want his help, and we need
him.
I was impressed with how the Savior through his motivation on Paul and the writings of Paul
could change a lot of things in our world. Paul was talking about families, that wonderful basic
unit, and he was giving advice about how husbands treat wives and wives husbands and how we
should treat children. And one thing he said, he said “Love your wives as Christ loved the church
and gave himself for it.” He did, didn’t he? All of his life. All of his effort. And then he died for
it. Now if each one of us loved our wife or our husband enough, it helps if both of us are trying
this to die for them or live for them come to change things. The stories so beautifully related
about Grandma. I was so impressed when it finally dawned on me that a lady at seventy-four took
care of her husband, home alone, until he became as feeble as Grandma did and passed away in
his own home with her care. And a few years later, this other wonderful man, Rulon, how she,
this little frail lady now almost too frail to even do it, a man with a brain tumor, took care of him
in her own home until he passed away. And some of you were really great helpers or she couldn’t
have done it. Well, a remarkable person.
One more story and then we’ll conclude. I heard about Grandma’s dreams, and she talked with
me at times about a lot of pretty special things. You’re aware that Peter, speaking of the Savior
and his death, said that as his body lay in the tomb that his spirit was still alive and went up into
heaven for three days to speak to and work with the spirits in heaven who had never had a
chance, some living in the days of Noah, maybe the children of people who never gave them a
chance, and other times of the earth’s history, that he might also bring them to God that no one
would be discriminated against. That all who would come to him had an opportunity, if not here,
over there. Well, he started the missionary work, and I have the understanding that there are
many that have gone beyond now to join others on the other side who are followers of Christ who
now are engaged over there in his work. Mother told me some months ago when she was very
alert and her mind was very keen about an experience. She said “Richard, I don’t want you to
talk about it.” I don’t know if she ever told any of you. And because I don’t want you to talk

12. about it for special reasons I understand, I didn’t. But I think it would be all right to talk about it
now.
She so missed my father, and Rulon filled such a void in her life ─ that beautiful man, how he
cared and made her life happy for four years. And then he was gone, and it was lonesome. But
with friends she would do things and she went to the temple from time to time. One day, after
Rulon’s death, when her heart was really grieving and lonesome, she sat with a couple friends,
and there in the temple, just as close as, well really closer than one of you because she felt she
could just reach out and touch him, stood this beautiful man, Rulon Sperry, in marvelous white
robes. And when she saw him so close to her, she began to cry, and she couldn’t stop. And her
friends said “Why are you crying?” She said “I’ll tell you later.” Rulon was there. Mother’s
words, Grandma’s words, “He was working there with the dead, as I was working here with
those around me.”
Grandma has given us a number of gifts. First of all, like we could go back to Mother Eve and
say “Thanks. You got things started. Without you we wouldn’t have had life.” But many of us
here can go back to Grandma and say thanks for life, “If it hadn’t been for you, we wouldn’t be
here.” Then she gave us a marvelous example of someone who tried to follow Christ. She’s left
all of her earthly property, anything that was remaining to her family. And she’s left us her
testimony of our place and her place in the eternal scheme of things when she left what I wrote
for you.
I believe that those that have gone before us are watching us: the founding fathers of our nation;
the patriots who died to preserve our blessings; the Christians of each century who served and
gave and died for Christ’s cause; our pioneer forebears who sacrificed so much to give us what
we enjoy. Our grandmas and grandpas are watching us, and most of all, God is watching us to see
what we do with our legacy, their gifts to us.
I pray that we will pass on to those who follow us an equal legacy. That when we meet on the
other side mother, father, and the others will say “Well done my faithful servant,” and I ask for
this and for the help of our Father in Heaven in achieving this that I know is the one gift that we
could give to Grandma that would really mean a lot. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I’d like to express a great thank you and appreciation to all of you that have taken time to visit
mother and help her, and sustain her, and touch her life for good. Those on the program today.
The beautiful things that were presented. To the kindness that some who took care of her in her
last months gave mother. To Russon Brothers Mortuary who have been so congenial and helpful,
and those who sent beautiful flowers. I thank all of you, and God be with all of you.
The Benediction by Mark Christensen.
Our Father in Heaven
We bow our heads in pray at the conclusion of this funeral service honoring Lucy Marie
Sorensen Stucki Sperry. We express our love for her, and for all that she has given us, and the
many ways she has touched our lives. We share fond memories of her life and times. We mourn
our loss with her passing. And we celebrate this momentous transition we call death. For Lucy it

13. was a welcome release. She lived a full and abundant life. It was productive and meaningful. We
know that she is well. And we are not concerned. We therefore pray, our Heavenly Father, for
ourselves. That in the face of Lucy’s passing we may be appropriately touched by a more clear
realization of our own mortality. That with this exquisite awareness we may connect more
deeply, love more fully, be more present, and live our lives more completely and if we do this she
will have given us yet another gift. Be with us especially and comfort those people who are
closest to Lucy and will most miss her. And let thy spirit rest with us as we ponder her life and
these thoughts as we leave this enclave. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Dedication of the Grave by Scott Christensen.