Bessie Gail Fifield Saxton

Gail (Mom) died surrounded by her kids on Friday January 26th, after a brief battle with sepsis, less than a year after losing Dad (Lynn). We now have to get used to the world without Mom in it too. Those of us left behind will remember how sharp her mind remained to the end, as her body gradually broke down over these last several years. If you knew Gail, you will also remember her for her incredible sense of humor, her vast collection of hippos, and the fact that she kept the Coke company in business for years.

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Mom was born in Logan and she had many adventures before she was our Mom, growing up in Malad, Idaho, Southern California, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City, raised by her parents, Floyd and Laurel, alongside her two sisters, Maren and Nada.

Mom’s teenage years in the Marmalade neighborhood in Salt Lake City, brought our Dad, Lynn, into her orbit, where he stayed for the rest of his life. They both graduated from West High in the 1950s and they were married on March 8th, 1960, barely a month before she turned 20.

Mom and Dad moved to Colorado Springs right after getting married. And that’s where she lived when she started her favorite adventure - being our Mom. We all agree that her favorite thing to do was spend time with her kids and be their Mom, which she did for the next 64 years. She returned to Salt Lake City in 1961 and eventually settled in Rose Park in 1967, where she lived for 53 years raising us and watching us raise our own kids. Nothing brought her more joy or feelings of accomplishment during that time than her children and, soon enough, her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Eventually we all came to know her as “Grammy”

Of course, Gail had other accomplishments besides being a Mom. She was a successful Avon representative and Tupperware host. She also started and ran her own daycare center in our house and spent 18 years working as an emergency room clerk at Holy Cross Hospital, where even her co-workers called her Mom. Everyone who worked with her loved her and she excelled in all of her various jobs.

Another of Gail’s favorite experiences was going on road trips to Malad or driving to Cedar City to attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival. She loved theatre - especially musicals - and many of those road trips included the companionship of her sister, and best friend, Maren. She couldn’t have asked for a better, or more loyal, sister.

Gail was very proud of her leadership role in the Le Leche League organization. This adventure gave her the opportunity to educate and support parents who struggled with breastfeeding. She also had the opportunity to serve in various roles as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, including several that allowed her to use her music talents.

But Mom’s ultimate legacy will be her kids. She had 11 children of her own - Cathi, Jeannie, Jeffery, Carol, David, Will, Danny, Aaron, Jacob, Sissy, and Adam. She also raised her Grandson Dee for several years when he was very young. And, as a Mom, she was no stranger to tragedy; she lost Jeffery and Jacob right after birth and she lost Danny in 2022. She also lost her own parents and some of her beloved grandchildren in her journey.

Special thanks to the staff at Country Home Assisted Living in Bountiful, especially Jamie, Dani, and Monica who treated Mom with kindness and care, striving to give her comfort and dignity in her final days.

Mom was very sentimental and, like many Moms, she worried a lot. “It’s okay Mom, you don’t need to worry anymore; we’ll take care of each other now. We love you.”

Funeral services will be on Saturday February 3rd at the Wood Cross 7th ward at 2064 S 800 W, Woods Cross, UT 84087. Viewing is at noon and the service begins at 1:00 pm. Interment will be in the Salt Lake Cemetery.