Our beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Aunt, and friend passed away Thursday, Nov. 2nd, 2017. Born Dana Jean Mellus on April 24th, 1935 in SLC, Utah, to James Earl and Sina Adamson Mellus. Attended South High School. Married Gary Bulow, later divorced. Married the love of her life Clifford "Kip" James whom she spent 30 amazing years with. Not a day went by they didn't express their love for each other.
She spent many years helping in her parent's Floral Shop and Christmas Tree business. She developed many friendships within the floral industry. She worked for the airport National Car Rental and various Law firms. She worked side by side with Kip for 30 of the 45 years their business, The Palms Athletic Club, was open.
They provided food for the Press and Scholarship boxes at Rice Eccles Stadium for Ute football games for a number of years. As avid Ute fans they spent many years traveling the country with the team. They enjoyed football, gymnastics, and basketball. She especially loved her Red Rocks gymnastics meets. They cultivated so many friendships within the University and among their tailgating friends. They were lifetime members of the Crimson Club.
They amassed a lifetime of friends through their business and Dana had an amazing ability to remember customer's names. Their ham and cheese sandwiches and burgers were famous around the city. People never fully realized how hard our mom and dad worked in their business and Dana had most of her joints worn out to prove it. She instilled in us an incredible work ethic by example. Mom's organizational skills were surpassed only by her cooking abilities. She could whip up an incredible meal on a moments notice. She loved gardening and took pride in having a lovely yard. She loved the times we spent camping in their trailer and many road trips in the van. She was an avid reader and could do the daily crossword puzzle in about 10 minutes.
Mom always supported us in all our endeavors. She was generous to a fault and never expected more than she gave. She was always there to support or take care of us no matter what the situation was. She loved unconditionally. She was such a strong woman, especially in the last few years. She was a fighter and an inspiration to us all. She has left such a void in our lives and will be greatly missed.
She is survived by Daughter Chris L. Bulow, Sons Terry A. Bulow and Val D. (Colleen) Bulow. Grandsons Christopher (Tiffany) Bulow, James Bulow, and Granddaughters Alaura Bulow and Jan (Robert) Soloman. Great-Granddaughter Addie Bulow. Sister-in-law Joyce Mellus. Numerous very special nieces and nephews and many cousins. Special friends Dorothy and Kevin Wilde and numerous other friends. She will especially be missed by her sweet Molly dog. Preceded in death by Sisters Carol and Pat, Brothers Jim (Carol) Mellus, Ted (Beverly) Mellus, and Gary Mellus.
A special thank you to Dr. John Luras.
We love you so much mom and your body can finally rest. God bless you.
A celebration of life will be Saturday, Nov. 11th, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. with a visitation from 10:00-11:00 a.m. at the Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 East 10600 South, Sandy. Please dress casually and wear RED. In lieu of flowers please donate to a charity of your choice. GO UTES!!
