Marla Leile East Miles passed peacefully from this life on April 28th, 2019. Born on November 17th, 1932 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, she was the oldest child and only daughter of Rhoda (Ruth) Elizabeth Topham& Clifford W. East. As a child, mom lived in Arizona and New York.
She attended BYU where she majored in Food Science & Nutrition and met her future husband, Duane Oliver Miles (later divorced). They were married in the Arizona Temple on June 6th, 1952. Marla& Duane lived in Orem, Utah, where a son, Duane ll, was born while Duane finished his degree at BYU.
White Sands, New Mexico and Maryland were other homes, and a second son, Sandy, was born in Maryland. They then came all the way across the country to settle in Sunnyvale, California where 3 daughters were added to the family: Cindy, Sue & Marcy. Mom loved sunny California and was a devoted mother who was active in her children’s schools, local politics, and her church congregation, where she served faithfully in many callings, including as a Relief Society President in a ward of more than one thousand members.
She was proficient in the homemaking skills, and taught her children to cook, can, iron and sew. The girls have fond memories of mom sewing matching Easter dresses for them each year. Marla moved to Provo, Utah in 1976 as a single mother to finish raising her girls.
She loved being close to BYU and enjoyed attending plays, football games, concerts, art exhibits and many more of the University activities. She especially loved the Creamery milk and Coconut Joy ice cream, and there was always a gallon of BYU Creamery chocolate milk in her fridge for the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mom worked as a receptionist at the LDS Foundation and also worked at the Provo Missionary Training Center in the housing department.
She served as a Relief Society mentor to a BYU single student ward for many years. She served an 18 month Church service mission to Saint Louis, Missouri. In her home ward in Provo, she served in the Primary for many years.
She made friends wherever she went, and the family laughed about how, no matter where mom went, she would find people she knew, or was connected to in some way. She had a gift for remembering people’s names and their stories—they truly mattered to her. She was a ministering angel to many over the span of her lifetime; and left her posterity a wonderful legacy of loving and serving others.
Marla loved family history, temple service, reading (she was always adding to her library and gifting books to others), current events and news, gardening, institute classes at BYU, spending time with grand children, traveling (New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Israel) and the Shakespeare Festival. Marla is survived by her five children: Duane Oliver Miles (Teri), Sanford Lee Miles (Shelley), Cynthia Ann Miles Sager (Shannon), Susan Leile Miles Anderson & Marcia Lynnae Miles Jackson, her brother, Neal J East, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Preceded in death by her parents: Clifford W. & Ruth East, and son-in-law David Jackson.
We express our gratitude to all who loved and ministered to our Mom when we could not be there for her.
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