Elayne Lowe Hess November 8, 1923 ~ May 24, 2018 Elayne Lowe Hess, resident of Layton, Utah, died May 24, 2018, of natural causes at the age of 94. Elayne was born on November 8, 1923, in Elwood, Utah, the daughter of John Virgil Lowe and Sarah Christensen Lowe. She spent her childhood in the Franklin, Idaho, area.
She met Niles Udell Hess at a church dance, fell in love, and the couple were married in the Logan LDS Temple on April 13, 1942. Niles and Elayne raised their four daughters in Arcadia, California, and later, as empty nesters, moved to Farmington, Utah. Elayne was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served faithfully in callings throughout her life.
She loved the Lord and served Him through proselyting and family history missions, and working in the Los Angeles and Bountiful Temples. She was an avid genealogist, traveling as far away as England to do research on her ancestors. Elayne was an artist at heart, and delighted in making stunning hand-turned pottery for family and friends.
She was a skilled seamstress, creating beautiful clothing as well as patchwork quilts for each of her daughters and grandchildren. She was an accomplished cook, and enjoyed making and eating delicious meals with her family and friends. Her fresh whole wheat bread is famous among her grandchildren.
Elayne created award winning flower arrangements, and stitched hardanger embroidery table clothes for each of her daughters. Elayne loved music and had a beautiful soprano singing voice. She sang in church for the last time when she was 90.
There was always music in her family’s life. She loved music and made sure her daughters all played an instrument. She loved traveling, especially cruising.
Elayne was an author, publishing not only her own autobiography, but those of several of her friends. She wrote and published a storybook for her grandchildren, which related anecdotes from her ancestors’ lives. Elayne did her best teaching by example.
She instilled in her daughters the confidence that, with a lot of hard work and a little courage, they could accomplish anything they set their minds to do. She taught them to problem solve, to try new things, and to not be afraid of a challenge. She taught them to find joy in service, and that practice is the key to excellence.
She was a true renaissance woman. Elayne was preceded in death by her beloved husband Niles, who passed in 2002, a grandson Wesley Valentine, a granddaughter Sharon Valentine, and a son-in-law Jeffrey Valentine. Elayne is survived by four daughters: Nila (Russell) Watterson, Christine (Neal) Humphrey, Doris Valentine, and Lorinda (Jay) Atwater, as well as 18 grandchildren and 37 great grandchildren.
Services will be held on Thursday, May 31, 2018, at the Kaysville South Stake Center, 900 S. Main Street, Kaysville, at 11:00 a.m. Friends may visit with family Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., and Thursday before the services from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The family would like to express their thanks to Encompass Hospice for their care of Elayne during her last weeks of life.
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