Mary Annette Sears passed away peacefully on the morning of August 18th, 2014. She was born on Friday, the 4th of September, 1936, the first daughter of Archibald Quince Aiken and Irene Diana Tolley Aiken, in their home in Spring City, Utah. Her family moved to Tooele, Utah, in 1941 where her father found work at the Tooele Smelter as a pipe-fitter. In 1947, they returned to Spring City where she lived most of her youth. She attended Spring City Elementary School and grew up close to family and friends in the beautiful and peaceful Sanpete County community that she always called home. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, worshiping and growing in faith with parents, her three sisters, and a large extended family that supported each other through thick and thin.
As an adult she was living in Salt Lake City and working at the Salt Lake Donut Shop when she met Kenneth Ralph Sears, her lifetime sweetheart. They were married on November 3, 1962, at the home of George Buckway, Kenneth's grandfather. Their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake City Temple on April 15, 1965. On May 27, 1965, she gave birth to the first of four children, and from that time on she dedicated her life to being wife and mother, raising her four children first in Salt Lake City and then in Sandy, Utah, where she lived for 31 years. She did not take up work outside the home until all her children were in school, and was always home when the children came home. When she did go back to work she was a lunch worker at Jordan School District until 1989. In 2002 they sold their home and moved to the Ranches in Eagle Mountain.
Annette obtained her pilot's license in her early adult years, and enjoyed this hobby for several years until it became financially impractical. Annette enjoyed just about any activity if she was with her husband and children. She loved camping and fishing with her family. She was intent on supporting the family in their interests as they grew, first traveling to support her son in his sporting activities, and then going anywhere necessary for all the grandchildren's activities. She was particularly proud of her great-grandsons and showed pictures of them to everyone she could. In her quiet time she loved to read, and she enjoyed writing in her journals. She liked gardening, painting her home, and handy work around the house.
Annette liked to serve others. She was a special-needs Primary teacher, and also secretary in the Young Women's organization. She particularly enjoyed her calling as the church librarian, where she was able to happily serve all the members, visit with them, and make them feel welcome.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Dorothy (Louis) Aiken Cook. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Kenneth, her two sisters, Linda (Osral) Aiken Allred and Sandra (Boyd) Aiken Beck, her four children and their families: Kenneth (Christine) Ralph Sears, Jr., Verene (Larry) Ann Sears Froisland, Wayne (Juleen) Ross Sears, and Jeanine (Ron) Thurman, 15 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandsons.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 30, 2014, at 11 a.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens Chapel, 1950 East 10600 South, Sandy, Utah. A viewing for family and friends will be held Friday, August 29, 2014, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Porter Crossing Ward Chapel, 4105 Smith Ranch Road, Eagle Mountain, Utah. Friends may also call prior to the funeral service from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens Chapel.
