Merle Thomas Spence

Merle Thomas Spence
March 24, 1930 - November 16, 2017
Merle Thomas Spence, 87, our most beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, with family by her side.
She was born March 24, 1930, in Round Valley, Rich County, Utah, the daughter of Orson James Thomas and Lucy Earley. She was raised and educated in the beautiful Bear Lake Valley. Her father passed away when she was seven years old. She married her high school sweetheart, Robert Douglas Spence, on Dec. 24, 1948, and together they raised six daughters.
Merle was a real estate agent in Garden City and St. George, worked at the Sweetwater Golf Course, and was an accomplished cook at various restaurants in the Bear Lake area. She was a justice of the peace in Rich County for 12 years and also served on the State Bail Scheduling Committee as a state treasurer for the Justice of the Peace Association.
She enjoyed the outdoors and loved to hunt and play golf. She also enjoyed baking, playing the piano, singing and spending time with family and friends. She will be greatly missed and will be forever in our hearts.
Merle is survived and forever loved by her husband, Doug; as well as her six daughters: JoAnn (Vernon) Andersen, Mickie (Craig) Layton, Barbara (Terry) Rich, Colleen (Thayne) Braegger, Vickie (Doug) Sink, Karen Spence; 19 grandchildren; 50 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild and brother Terry (Jeanie) Willis. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Orval and Orson Jay Thomas, her sister Faye Floyd, stepfather, Claude Willis, and granddaughter-in-law, Rachael Spencer.
Funeral services will be held at the Garden City LDS Church on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, at noon with a viewing prior from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Interment to follow at the Garden City Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Allen-Hall Mortuary.