Our beautiful Mother, Kathryn Clark Mumford, left us on the evening of January 25, 2016. We celebrate her 96 years of life and rejoice in contemplating her reunion with her beloved husband and son and many who have preceded her in death.
Kathryn was born November 3, 1919 to Thomas Edgar Clark and Charlotte Parry Clark. She was the second daughter born to them. Her sister, Claudia, died as a baby from the influenza virus in 1918 that ravaged so many families in the U.S. Kathryn had four sisters, Janice, Carol, Gwen and Charlotte (Cholly) who were born after her, followed by their only brother, Thom. The family moved to Park City when the children were young, where her father was the town physician. Our Mother had many wonderful stories she shared with us about the adventures she and her siblings shared growing up there.
Mother left Park City to go to the University of Utah when she was 16. The family soon moved to Sandy, Utah. It was in Sandy that Kathryn met Frank Mumford, who would become her husband and love of her life. (Dad always said he knew the day he first met her she was "the one"). They were married in the Salt Lake Temple December 20, 1940. Soon after, WWII found Dad on his way to Europe to serve in the Army. Their only son, Clark, was born after Dad had left for Germany. It would be two and a half years before he would see his precious boy for the first time.
After the war, Kathryn and Frank settled in Sandy. They had a daughter, Claudia, and four years later another daughter, Kathy. Mother began her 33 year career teaching elementary school soon after Kathy's birth. She taught at Sandy Elementary, third grade, for most of those years.
Our Mother was a dignified, talented, gracious woman. She was an artist (all her children and grandchildren happily display her artwork in their homes), a wonderful cook, seamstress, musician, voracious reader, and lover of seeing new things and going new places. She taught us so much about living a good and honorable life.
In 1966, when he was 23, Mother and Dad's only son, Clark, was killed in a car accident. How joyous a reunion they must be having after 49 years without holding him in her arms! Dad died May 26, 2002 at age 83, and Mother has been courageous in carrying on without him these past 14 years.
Kathryn was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Moore Mumford and her son, Frank Clark. Also preceded in death by her parents, Charlotte Parry and Thomas Edgar Clark, her sisters Claudia, Janice, Gwen, and Carol.
She is survived by daughters Claudia (Neil) Smith and Kathy (Dick) Thames, grandchildren Kari Woolf, Marnie (Gary) Woodbury, Clark (Juli) Smith, Katie (Brad) Hansen, Jordan (Melissa) Smith, Brian (Andrea) Thames and Chris (Katie) Thames. She is also survived by her sister Charlotte Cundick and brother Thom (Bonnie) Clark, and by 24 great grandchildren.
We wish to thank the staff at Atria Senior Living, where Mom resided the last year of her life. She was treated so well and with such care and concern for her well-being.
A funeral service will be held Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 11:00am at Larkin Sunset Gardens 1950 E Dimple Dell Rd. (10600 S) in Sandy. The family will receive friends from 9:30am ‚ 10:45am prior to the service. Interment will follow at Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery.
Condolences may be made at www.LarkinMortuary.com
