Jacqueline Bourne Marsden

Jacqueline Bourne Marsden, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to so many, died of natural causes at home on October 19, 2026—at the age of 92. Her passing leaves us with heartache but with gratitude for the immeasurable love and generosity she had for her family and friends.
Jackie was born in Layton, Utah, on April 7, 1934, to Horton Van Fleet Bourne, a farmer from Farmington, Utah and Marguerite Sill Bourne, Davis County Recorder and homemaker extraordinaire, from Layton, Utah. Jackie was an elementary school teacher, gardener, cook, volunteer, neighbor, friend and undisputed CEO of the household.
Jackie grew up on a farm, where she learned how to do hard work. She milked cows and fed chickens. She hoed onions, and picked corn, cherries, peaches and raspberries for her father to deliver for sale in Salt Lake. Her first paying job was at the Lagoon Amusement Park. She most liked working at the Fun House with its laughing lady. During her early years she worked as a mechanic’s helper at Hill Air Force Base, as a teller at Davis County Bank, in the Mineralogy Department at the U and for Skyline Oil.
Jackie attended Davis High School where she apparently was often in trouble with the principal, but during this time was crowned “Miss Farmington.” She was a proud “Davis Dart” and vigorously defended the “brown and gold” Darts against an overwhelming tide of family who were East High School alumni.
After high school, Jackie left the farm life of Farmington to go to the big city (Salt Lake). She enrolled at the University of Utah, and pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma. She made many lifelong friends as a Kappa. She graduated from the U in 1958 with a B.S. in Education.
Jackie met her husband Milo on a blind date set up by his cousin. She was initially concerned that Milo was “too short for heels.” They obviously hit it off because they dated for two years and then were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 24, 1958. They honeymooned at Lake Louise in Canada. They shared 63 wonderful years of marriage until Milo’s death in 2021. They have four children to whom Jackie provided years of love and support.
After getting married, the two promptly left for Stanford Law School. Jackie supported the family by working as a 2nd grade teacher in Menlo Park, California. When Milo graduated, and the couple returned to Salt Lake, Jackie worked as a 6th grade teacher at East Millcreek Elementary. Soon thereafter, her primary focus turned to raising children and running a household.
Jackie kept a beautiful and inviting home and spent many hours in her garden. Her farm roots gave her enormous talents. She planted and nurtured a beautiful garden. She bottled peaches, froze corn, made apple and peach pies to freeze for the winter, made holiday candy (pecan logs, caramels and fudge) and prepared family dinner every night, served promptly at 6:30 p.m.
Jackie loved animals and nature. She enjoyed spending time in Utah’s mountains, canyons and lakes. She cared for and fed every stray creature that crossed her path, hummingbirds and birds at the park. Every spring she made an effort to save the ducklings who were hatched year after year in the Edgemount condominium complex.
Jackie loved to travel. Milo was general counsel for an international trade association that met twice a year in far-flung locations: Jamaica, Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Montreal, Hawaii, Bermuda, and Norway. Jackie and Milo also enjoyed cruises in Alaska, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and various stateside locations. They visited the British Isles, European countries, and enjoyed Scandinavia, particularly Finland where Milo had served his mission. They traveled to Australia, Antarctica, Kenya, Russia and China, and covered all seven continents. Jackie also loved to vacation with her extended family and over the years planned regular trips with the Bournes and Babcocks to the Tetons, Colter Bay, Zions, Lake Powell, Park City, Bear Lake, Sun Valley, and Palm Springs. She kept the extended family close, planning frequent family gatherings, and was known for wanting to gather as a family for almost any reason.
Jackie was an efficient multi-tasker. She worked a tasklist like no one else. She generously contributed her time to her community and church. She was Secretary, Treasurer and ultimately President of the Junior League of Salt Lake City, and she served on the Boards of the University of Utah Alumni Association, the Salt Lake City Library and Planetarium and the Utah Division of the American Cancer Society. She also volunteered at the Utah Opera Guild and the Museum of Fine Arts. She was a member of the Yale 2nd Ward from 1962 until 2008. She served in the Yale 2nd Ward in a variety of church positions and developed strong connections to the Yale 2nd neighborhood. While Jackie deeply missed that neighborhood, she embraced and enjoyed a new set of neighbors in the Edgemount condominium community. The neighbors there soon became friends and were loving and supportive of Jackie in her final years. There, she served on the Landscape Committee where she definitely had and shared opinions about all things.
Jackie was a social person. She and Milo were members of both the Oakridge Country Club and later the Salt Lake Country Club. At the Country Club, Jackie had a regular bridge group and regular lunch bridge dates with good friends. In her last few years, the bridge and lunch outings were a highlight in her week. She meticulously noted them in her calendar.
Jackie developed and valued deep friendships throughout her life from a variety of circles: childhood friends from Farmington, sorority sisters, Yale 2nd ward and Harvard/Yale neighborhood, the Country Club, and her various other groups--tennis, bridge, investment club, bowling, book club, DUP and Edgemount Estates. Just after college, Jackie and Milo joined a group of Milo’s Beta friends and their spouses in a “pot luck” dinner group which met every month for over sixty years.
Her closest and dearest friend of nearly 70 years, her “BFF” and constant companion, is Joyce Jorgensen. Jackie and Joyce met in college, were like sisters, joined at the hip, raised children together, embarked on questionable and unrealistic business ventures (pony riding business), traveled, enjoyed the ups and shared the sorrows of life, and were true friends until the end.
Jackie was a loyal University of Utah fan and enjoyed many years of having season tickets to both Ute basketball and football games, as well as the Utah Jazz. After she could no longer attend games, she always wanted to be sure of the game time and tv channel so she could watch the games at home.
Jackie enjoyed the arts as well and attended symphonies and plays including the Utah symphony, Pioneer Memorial Theatre and the annual Shakespearean festival. She also enjoyed the Cowboy Poetry Festival in Elko and the annual Jazz Festival in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Jackie’s greatest concern and satisfaction revolved around family. She worried about every child and grandchild all the time. She wondered where they were, had there been a flood, fire, wind event or snowstorm within hundreds of miles of their locations. She was a proud and supportive grandmother. From swim meets and soccer games to lacrosse matches and ski races, she enjoyed watching her grandchildren compete. She also would not miss a piano or ballet recital, school program, spelling bee or graduation. Her genuine deep love, concern and connection with her grandchildren was evidenced by their desire to include her and update her on all their achievements and milestones as they grew older.
Jackie will be remembered most for her dedication to family and friends, generosity and ability to bring people together. She leaves behind a lifetime of wonderful memories, family traditions, and meaningful friendships.
Jackie is preceded in death by her husband Milo and her brother Hal H. Bourne. She is survived by her four children and their spouses, Milo Steven and Karen Marsden, Mary Marsden, Julie and John Thomas, and Amy and Destry Atkinson. She has seven grandchildren of whom she was immensely proud and loved dearly: Kate, Annie and Milo Marsden; Claire and Mia Thomas; and Jack and Charlie Atkinson.
We would like to give a special thanks to Jackie’s primary caregiver Nadia Molina, and to Merja Vanninen and Dr. Margaret (Meg) Lunt, for the extraordinarily kind and loving care they gave her. We would also like to thank Creed Haymond, her longtime hair stylist.
The family will hold a private graveside memorial on November 24, 2026, interment at the Farmington City cemetery. Later that day, there will be a celebration of Jackie’s life at Red Butte Gardens, 300 Wakara Way. Extended family and friends are invited to join us to honor her between 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with a tribute at 1:30 p.m. A light lunch will be served. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donations to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary or Red Butte Gardens