Talma Jean Day

Talma Jean Lamb Day was born on May 7, 1948 at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edith and John Lamb. She was intelligent, passionate, and creative from early childhood. During her time at West High School Talma sang in the madrigal choir, performed with pep club, and graduated in 1966 as a consistent honor roll student.

After graduation she did counter-intelligence work as a civilian for the Naval Intelligence Service during the Vietnam War, first living in California and later in the Philippines, where her best friend was her pet German Shepherd. Afterward, she attended the University of Utah and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Education. This was done while also working with her mother at the Museum of Natural History.

While studying at the U, Talma became an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and met her best friend and sweetheart Ron Day. They were married on December 21, 1973, in the Provo Utah Temple. Talma spent the next 30 years raising their 4 children; David, Jonathan, Rebecca, and William. She also spent countless hours volunteering at their schools, playing tennis, and performing various callings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of these were in the Relief Society organization or music related or both.

Music wasn’t Talma’s only love; she adored books, especially the Nancy Drew and Little House on the Prairie series, and she shared that love of reading with her children. She also loved lighthouses and collected figurines and images of them because to her they represented the light of the Savior in a storm. She loved snowmen—the more whimsical the better—and the best snowmen had the best noses. Diet Coke was its own food storage category, and it was the first thing she needed a year’s supply of—all other staples were secondary. She also loved owls and rainbows and the view of the trees in her backyard from her upstairs windows.

But her greatest joy was being a wife, mother, and grandmother. She was Ma to her children and MaBear to her children’s friends. When they were older, she was MaBear to her children in-law and Grandma Bear to her grandchildren. Talma was a gifted writer and artist, and expressed her creativity through countless poems, prose, scrapbooking, memory books for the families of her children, and in many other ways. As she aged and it became more difficult to do these hobbies, she still wanted her children and grandchildren to surround her.

Now she is welcomed into the Savior’s arms and reunited with her husband, parents, and sisters again. Talma is preceded in death by her husband, Ronald J Day; her parents, Edith and John Lamb; and her sisters, MaryBeth Decker and Melinda Buchanan. She is survived by her brother, John Bud Lamb; her four children David (Tera), Jonathan (Sarah), Rebecca (Mike), and William (Angie); and her many grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 27th at 1:00pm at the LDS meetinghouse located at 6695 S 2200 W. There will be a viewing from 5:00-7:00pm on Friday, September 26th and again from 11:30-12:30am Saturday morning, September 27th.