Renee Jones Wells

Our loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister Renee Jones Wells passed away peacefully on December 26, 2018 in Murray, Utah. 

Renee, age 85, was born on November 18, 1933 in Cedar City, Utah to Joseph Stanford and Helen Chamberlain Jones. She was born two months early and weighed only 3.5 pounds. Her survival was truly a miracle. She married Henry Emil Vandenberghe on August 17, 1954 in the Salt Lake Temple, later divorced.  She married her sweetheart, Delwin Samuel Wells on June 20, 1967 in the Salt Lake Temple.  They were blessed to join Renee’s three daughters and Delwin’s two sons and daughter together as a family. Delwin passed away in January 2016.

She loved growing up in the small town of Enoch, Utah. There was no television, so they listened to the radio, played board and card games, explored the hills and ravines around Enoch, and attended the weekly old time dances at the church. Working hard was a way of life. Feeding the chickens, gathering eggs, stomping hay down in the wagon, and cleaning the outhouse. She participated in 4-H from the age of 10 years old until she went to college. Her mother was her 4-H leader and Renee was honored with trips and a sewing machine for her sewing and record keeping skills. She attended Cedar City High School where she was a member of the band, playing the clarinet. Her favorite subjects were music, homemaking, and P.E. classes. She graduated from the College of Southern Utah (SUU) in elementary education. She worked as an educator and taught kindergarten for 30 years at Hillsdale Elementary.

Renee was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From the age of 13, she played the piano and organ in church. Every place she lived during her life she was the organist, and the accompanist for choirs and musical numbers. She loved serving as Stake Relief Society President for 8 ½ years. She also loved playing the organ in the Jordan River Temple for 10 years. Being a faithful visiting teacher brought Renee much joy in her life.  She truly loved and became lifelong friends with the sisters she visited.

Renee thought being a grandma was great. She loved to support and attend events the grandkids participated in. She felt it was a special privilege and joy to attend the baby blessings, baptisms, confirmations, missionary farewells and weddings of the grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She will always be remembered for her testimony of Jesus Christ, her beautiful smile, never speaking an unkind word, and serving her family and friends. She was grateful for the gospel in her life and the knowledge that if we live worthy, we can be together again as families.

She is survived by her children, Craig (Debbie) Wells, Paula (Terry) Smith, Sidney Williams, Valerie (Mark) McDougal; daughter-in-law, Leonette Wells Walton; son-in-law, Richard Timpson; 20 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren; siblings, Mavis Munson, Garth (Marilyn) Jones, Trudy (John) Wilson, Brent (Carolyn) Jones.

Preceded in death by her husband (Delwin); parents; children, Scott Wells and Teri Ann Wells Timpson; son-in-law, Albert Williams; brother-in-law, Bob Munson.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, December 31, 2018 at 11 a.m., Taylorsville South Stake Center, 3495 West 4850 South, Taylorsville, Utah.  Viewings will be held Sunday, 5-7 p.m. at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 South Redwood Road, and Monday, at the church, from 9:30-10:30 a.m.  Interment, Redwood Memorial Estates.

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