Carolyn Bagley Edwards, age 81, passed away September 6 in her home in Park City, Utah. Carolyn was born July 18, 1932 in Koosharem, Utah to Edward Merrill Bagley and Ruby Arminta Olsen Bagley, both descendants of Grass Valley pioneer families. One of seven children who were all enlisted to help prosper the family's cattle and sheep ranching operations, Carolyn learned from a young age how to care for others, work hard and create her own fun.
She graduated from Richfield High School in 1950 and matriculated to Brigham Young University where she graduated in 1954. While at BYU she made lifelong friends through participation in campus activities, including the Cougarettes and the O.S. Trovata social unit. At BYU she also fell in love with Howard Lee Edwards, then a recently returned missionary from Enterprise, Oregon and they married in the Salt Lake City Temple on March 19, 1954.
In each of the communities she and Howard made their home (Palo Alto, Calif.; Arlington, Va.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Short Hills, N.J.; Greenwood Village, Colo.; Anchorage, Alaska; La Canada, Calif.; and, since 1996, Park City, Utah), Carolyn left a legacy of meaningful service. She volunteered with PTA's and hospital auxiliaries. A patron of the fine and performing arts, Carolyn volunteered at the New York Metropolitan Museum, the Denver Art Museum, the Artists of America (Denver), the Anchorage Museum, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra. She supported, and one year chaired, the annual Sears Dixie State University Art Show.
A devout Latter-day Saint, she faithfully served in numerous callings including Relief Society presidencies, as Stake Young Women's president and as an early-morning seminary teacher. Although she resided out of the state most of her adult life, for 23 years she made monthly visits to Utah to provide compassionate care to ailing and aging family members living here.
Grandchildren will remember how on hands and knees she would play with them. Close friends will remember how she helped organize 19 bicycle trips for them around the nation, Canada and Europe. Anyone who entered her home will remember her gracious hospitality. And all who knew her will remember her easy smile, her listening ear and her devotion to Howard.
She is survived by her husband, Howard and her four sons and their spouses: Bryant and Linda (Hong Kong), H. McKay and Pamela (Salt Lake), Mitch and Sandra (Park City), Paul and Margo (Highland). She is also survived by 13 grandchildren, sister Melva Harward and brother Jay Bagley. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Lowell and Lell Bagley, and sisters Elaine Bagley and Fern Bagley Johnson.
Funeral services will be at 12:00 noon, Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Park City LDS Chapel, 2300 Monitor Drive, Park City, Utah. Family and friends are invited to a viewing Friday, Sept. 13 from 6-8 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Lawn, 2350 East 1300 South in Salt Lake City, and two hours prior to funeral services at the church. Interment will be at the Park City Cemetery following the funeral.
