After a life well spent in service and love, both given and received, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend Jilene Peterson Card returned to our Father in Heaven on Oct. 12,2018. She was born on May 2nd, 1928 to Harry Chester Peterson and Mada Peck Peterson in Lehi, UT and was the eldest of three children.
Her early childhood was spent in Salt Lake City, Reno, Corvallis, Eugene, Boise, and Seattle as her dad was employed by a large food corporation. She studied the violin beginning at age 7. The mighty Willamette River in Eugene was the setting for her baptism which remained clear in her memory.
Her family returned to Lehi in June of 1943 at the height of WWII. She graduated with honors from Lehi High School where she enjoyed many worthwhile and fun activities including serving as concert master for two years, student body, secretary, Booster Club president, staff member of the yearbook and high school Free Press correspondent. As a student at BYU, she had the privilege of playing for three years in the BYU symphony orchestra and later with the Utah Valley Symphony.
In 1949, a committee consisting of the mayor, a councilman, the music director and the home economics teacher appointed her as the first Miss Lehi. In her junior year at the Y she was called as secretary to Connell Roberts, president of the 3,000 member LDS student branch. Earlier, Floyd Millett, head basketball coach, hired Jilene as his secretary.
Because of her shorthand skills, she obtained employment as a senior stenographer at Geneva Steel. This great opportunity made it possible for her to continue her college education. Much later as a grandmother, she studied at USU for a year while her husband pursued a Ph.D. While serving in the campus branch, she met her future husband Lincoln John Card from Cardston Alberta, who was the branch clerk.
Their friendship grew into love and they were married on December 23, 1952 in the Salt Lake Temple. They took off in a borrowed car for the frozen north and arrived just in time to enjoy the spirited New Year’s Eve dance at the Cardston town center. Lincoln taught 6th grade and Jilene was hired at the Royal Bank of Canada as the second teller stenographer.
It was rumored that she was the top paid female employee in Cardston. Her salary was a whopping $80 a month. She enjoyed many sweet experiences in Cardston, including temple attendance and learning many spiritual truths from the stalwart saints, new friends and family she met.
It was a treasured experience for her. The following summer, the newly weds returned to Provo where they resided for 35 years then built a lovely retirement home in Orem. Jilene loved, supported and served her family, her Savior, her friends, and was a mentor to dozens of girls as she managed a large apartment complex for 11 years.
She loved their Indian daughter Brenda, entertained, and took seriously temple attendance. She never tired of hearing good stories, telling fun jokes, or trying her hand at “inferior decorating”. She internalized the counsel of President Kimball to the sisters of the Church to study and learn in depth, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This challenge brought her great joy and blessed her family and many others. She treasured each calling as she served on stake boards including Stake YWMIA president. Gospel Doctrine teacher, spiritual living teacher, faithful visiting teacher and as a fun den mother.
She had the privilege of being a bishop’s wife twice and the mother of three bishops. She supported her four children as they served honorable missions. She also served with her beloved husband as a leadership proselyting missionary in the Texas Fort Worth Mission.
She wrote and published her autobiography, a valued quote book, and many letters to the editor. The gift of faith, testimony, trust, studying and teaching the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ for decades as well as love of God and family kept her sustained as she grew older. She cherished each day despite a long list of physical setbacks including permanent neck and back injuries and breast cancer twice.
Her motto was to be of “good cheer”, and she was. She is survived by her beloved husband Lincoln, her four valiant children: Kevin Lincoln (Sue), David John (Raelene), Colette Jilene (Mike Harris), and Scott Peterson (Natalie), 21 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren, and her sister Peggy Peterson (Lynn Lowe). She was preceded in death by her brother H. Donl Peterson, her beloved parents and great granddaughter Kylee Alexis Kenyon.
Funeral services will be held Thursday October 18, 2018 at the Suncrest 10th Ward chapel located at 90 Noth 600 West, Orem. Viewings will be held on Wednesday October 17, 2018 at Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary located at 495 South State Street, Orem and on Thursday from 9:30 to 10:45 at the church prior to the services.
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