Jill Gibson Serfustini passed away on August 26, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born on September 18, 1946, in Ogden, Utah to Lynn and Clea Gibson. When she was three months old, her family moved to Salt Lake City where she grew up, graduating from East High School and then the University of Utah in 1969. She then returned to East High, where she taught sewing for seven years and introduced the first boys’ sewing class, for which the boys on the football team immediately signed up. Jill married Anthony “Tony” Serfustini in 1976 and moved to Las Vegas, where they started a medical orthopedics practice. Their son, David, was born there in 1978 and has been the light of Jill’s life ever since. Jill spent the past twenty years as a single woman, accomplishing some of her life-long goals including receiving her temple ordinances and then working in the Las Vegas temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 2005-2012, Jill returned to SLC to live and help care for her sick mother. During that time, she taught sewing to wannabe fashion designers at the Salt Lake Community College. She also served as Relief Society President of the inner-city ward which included a homeless shelter and several halfway houses (leading to many unique and sometimes humorous experiences). During that time, she started working at the SLC temple. Jill was Martha Stewart and Ms. Home Depot all rolled into one. She was equally comfortable preparing an elegant dinner, sewing Halloween costumes for her grandkids, or installing a sprinkler system. In addition to her love of family, Jill’s relationships with her friends were of paramount importance - and her friends knew it. She was always bringing people together for fun and food and everything she did was done with class. She was a passionate and creative teacher and gave the same 100% effort to the four-year-olds in Primary as she did to the adults in Gospel Doctrine class or her college students. She was beautiful and elegant but also witty and down-to-earth. Throughout her illness, she cheered up her loved ones by sending texts filled with wry humor and optimism. Although her earthly life has ended, she has left a legacy of love and light that will continue to inspire and comfort all those who knew her. Jill’s Savior has now welcomed her home with loving arms and the triumphant words “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Jill is survived by her son, David, his wife, Tiffany, and four grandchildren - Aurelia, Ezra, Xander, and Malachi - as well as her three brothers, Steve (Jennie), Jeff, and Chris. Jill and her family would like to send their heartfelt gratitude to the health care specialists at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in SLC, Utah.
Funeral service details: September 11, 2021, at 10:00am. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2091 Wigwam Parkway, Henderson, Nevada 89074
Interment will take place on September 18, 2021, at 2:00 pm at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Road (10600 South), Sandy, Utah