Kathleen Carmen Erskine Ford

Kathleen Carmen Erskine Ford, age 95, passed away on Friday March 29, 2024, with family by her side. Kathy was born June 23, 1928, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to John Stanley Erskine and Chloe Beatrice Perkins. She was the youngest of four children. Kathy was fun, outgoing, and very friendly. She grew up near Liberty Park and loved riding her bike and enjoyed many activities with her friends. She loved swimming, dancing, gymnastics and roller-skating. This filled her life with sunshine.

Kathy attended Salt Lake City schools. She was involved in many South High Cub activities. She marched and cheered at the football games. Kathy enjoyed early morning seminary. Her favorite subject was history. She was an avid reader of historical books throughout her life. Kathy took piano lessons as a young girl. During her teenage years she took organ lessons in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. At age sixteen she was called to be the ward organist.

As a young adult she served a mission in the Liberty Stake and enjoyed that very much. Kathy was a member of the Salt Lake Oratorial Society. She enjoyed her time singing The Messiah in the Tabernacle. Kathy enjoyed a wide variety of activities with her many young adult friends. She loved the dances at Saltair and Lagoon. Kathy worked at the Salt Lake County Hospital.

Kathy and Newell met on a waterskiing outing. She later married her sweetheart during Christmas Break on December 21, 1954, in the Salt Lake City Temple. Their honeymoon was spent driving back to New York City so Newell could finish his medical internship. She worked in New York until their son Craig was born. After Newell’s graduation they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where three more children were born. After Residency they moved their young family back home to Utah.

The next 62 years they lived in a home and neighborhood that they loved. Kathy had many friends. She was a faithful lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She loved her Savior and had a strong testimony of Him. Kathy served as Young Women’s President five different times. She loved her young women, and they loved her. She was kind, loving, generous and a friend to everyone she met.

Kathy and Newell enjoyed waterskiing, snow skiing and camping with their family. Family vacations were the highlight of the year. Lake Powell, Colter Bay and Moab were the favorite places to go. They built a family cabin where they enjoyed time together working, snowmobiling, fishing and playing. Wonderful memories have been made with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the cabin and boating at Echo Lake.

Kathy loved to read, sew, work on Family History and make memory scrapbooks for her grandchildren. She sewed and quilted baby blankets for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Kathy loved family gatherings. For the last 25 years Kathy was Newell’s caregiver. She devoted her life to Newell, making sure he had all that he needed, helping him to stay healthy and well. She took wonderful care of him.

Kathy loved her beautiful flower garden. Her specialty was dinner plate dahlias. She loved life. Kathy loved her family. Her family was her greatest blessing.

Kathy is survived by her children Craig (Melissa) Ford, Marilyn (Paul Latteier), Janet (Mike Rogers), Brad (Julie) Ford: 19 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren.

Kathy was preceded in death by her husband, Newell; her parents, Stanley and Chloe Erskine: her siblings, Maurice (Jack) Gordon, Mack (Ida) Erskine, Jay (Ruby) Erskine: her daughter-in-law Heidi (Hatch) Ford; her great-grandson Grayson Benjamin Cichelli.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 on Tuesday April 9, 2024, at the Crestview Ward, 2795 Crestview Dr. in Salt Lake City. Family and friends are invited to visit on Monday, April 8, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Lawn, 2350 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City, and on Tuesday from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. at the church prior to the funeral service.

Interment will be in the Centerville City Cemetery, 650 East 400 South, Centerville Utah.

For those unable to attend, services will be streamed via Zoom. Please click on the watch services link above.

The family would like to thank the Serenity Hospice team at Ashford Assisted Living Center for their kind and gentle care of their mother.