Teri Walton Oliver

Wife, Mom, Nana.

Teri Walton Oliver, born July 14, 1956, passed away unexpectedly in her home on December 4, 2019 at the age of 63 years. Born and brought up in Salt Lake City, Utah, Teri was at the center of the family she raised in the place she had always called home. 

Teri is preceded in death by her father, Leon Howard Walton, and her mother, Geraldine Parkin Walton. She is survived by her husband, Layne, and her four children: Angela Khairallah (Taleb), Melanie, Eric (Madelynn), and Amy. She was a loving and devoted Nana to Simon, Bridger, Andrew, Brielle, Gunner, and Brooklynn. She is also survived by her sister, 2 brothers, and many beloved nephews, nieces, grandnephews, and grandnieces. 

Teri loved deeply and was loved by all who knew her. She touched lives from the minute she entered them and gave freely to help others. She was devoted to a life of service, which was especially evident in her focus on children and her passion for giving them good food. She spent the last 28 years of her career working in food services for Granite School District before retiring in July 2019 as a Food Services Coordinator.

In her short retirement, Teri liked spending time with her husband and “cheating” to beat him at the card game of War.  She was learning to enjoy the little things in life like gardening, playing brain games, and going to new yoga and aerobics classes. She also picked up new hobbies, like unmasking the masked singer, reading Harry Potter, and figuring out whether she was going to run away with Shemar Moore, Johnny Depp, or Peter Facinelli. She loved road trips to chase big foot, nature, open spaces, and the natural wonders of the universe. She was especially looking forward to an upcoming trip to see the Aurora Borealis in Alaska for the first time. Although, what delighted her most was spending time with her grandchildren!

Teri’s unmatched wit and wisdom came with a knack for solving any problem. She was skilled at busting through walls that stood in her way or the way of her beloved family members. She took a no-holds barred approach to life that she learned from watching her favorite movie—Pirates of the Caribbean—three million times. She believed in magic and created it everywhere she went from simply being a cheerleader for her family members to making everyone she met believe in the kindness of strangers. She was the living embodiment of the entire Hallmark Christmas movie collection, and she relished in sitting with Layne from October to January every year, switching between watching angels wrap gifts and get into love conundrums, and FBI agent Derek Morgan catch the bad guys in Criminal Minds.

Teri exemplified strength and purpose by holding the family together as an unbreakable military wife for 39 years and an undimmable guiding star during Layne’s recovery from his lightning accident.  Her powers of observation helped her to divine the future and lead her kids and soul mate to each of their destinies. She raised a clinical social worker, a teacher, a microbiologist, and a museum director, and pushed Layne to pursue his love of writing and astronomy. Teri loved and supported all of her children and grandchildren, traveling to see sports games, dance recitals, new homes, graduations, and most recently to visit her brand new granddaughter, Brooklyn. When she wasn’t able to travel, Mom warped via technology to be there as much as she could. Through it all, she was fiercely funny and enjoyed making everyone laugh.

With her passing, the world loses one of its best. Her kindness, infectious laughter, and love for everyone around her will never be forgotten and will forever shine through her most treasured legacy: her family.

A viewing will be held Sunday, December 8, 2019 from 4pm-6pm at McDougal Funeral Homes in Taylorsville. A short viewing will be held at 9am prior to funeral services on Monday, December 9, 2019 at the Hunter 17^th Ward house at 3745 So. 6400 W. in West Valley City, Utah. Funeral services will be held at 10am, followed by interment at Valley View Memorial Park.

Condolences may be sent to the Oliver Family at 3689 So. Chatterleigh Rd., West Valley City, Utah 84128. The family asks for limited visitors Saturday through Monday to allow for family time and healing.

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