Esther Barrett

Esther Barthel Barrett, passed away on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, in Idaho Falls, Idaho at the age of 95 surrounded by her loving family.

Esther was born on June 12, 1928, in Zurich, Switzerland, to Friedrich Adam Barthel and Louise "Liesel" Baumann. At 5 months of age, her family immigrated to the United States where she spent her early childhood in the state of New York. In 1939, her family moved to Utah where she then lived for the next 83 years.

Esther married Velo Junior (JR) Barrett on December 4th, 1946, in the Salt Lake LDS temple. Esther and JR settled in the Granger/Taylorsville, Utah area where they resided for many years and raised their family of 4.

Esther's parents instilled in her the value of hard work, and she spent most of her working career at Granite School District as an administrative assistant. The value of hard work carried over into the care of her home and yard, which she took great pride in maintaining.

Esther loved making friends and each one held a special place in her heart. She especially cherished the friendships she developed in her high school club group that met monthly for over 60 years. Other long-term friendships were formed during her years in the Taylorsville 12th Ward, and she often referred to those friends as family and was grateful for those relationships. To her delight, many of those friends made special visits and numerous phone calls as she spent the last two years of her life living in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Another characteristic of Esther was her love of service. She enjoyed the unique opportunity of serving as a tour guide at the Historic Beehive House in Salt Lake City, Utah for 15 years. Along with that service, she also enjoyed serving side by side with her spouse in the Jordan River Temple.

Esther loved to travel, and she and JR took many trips exploring Utah and all that it has to offer with family and friends. From the red rocks of southern Utah to the shores of Bear Lake, she often referred to herself as the chief cook and bottle washer on all family adventures.

She loved to cook, and you could never show up at her home without her offering to fix you something to eat. She also enjoyed reading and sharing her love for her Swiss heritage. Many family traditions, sayings, and foods have been built around her cherished Swiss heritage.

Esther leaves behind a large posterity and would always remark, "There's not a throw away in the bunch." She is survived by her daughter, Susan (Richard) Gudmundson of Middleton, Idaho; son, Kim (Jackie) Barrett of Riverton, Utah; daughter, Sandi (Steven) Crosby of Lehi, Utah; and daughter, Janet (Rodney) Andersen of Idaho Falls, Idaho; 16 grandchildren; 37 great grandchildren; and 6 great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, siblings, daughter in-law, and a great grandchild.

The family would like to thank the numerous aides at MorningStar Senior Living of Idaho Falls who showed such loving care and patience over the last two years. We would also like to thank her Hospice team for the tender care she received from them in her final stages of life.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, March 2, 2024, at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville, Utah. Interment will be in the Valley View Memorial Park Cemetery.