Grandma Stanton's Obituary

Bernice Cox Stanton, 73, of Provo, passed away Friday, May 4, 2012 holding the hand of her sweetheart, Jim. She triumphed in a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was born in Ferron Utah, May 30, 1938. She was fourth of the eight children of Lloyd Glenn and Mildred Johnson Cox. She spent her childhood in Ferron in the wonderful companionship of her brothers and sisters. She gained her strong work ethic and her sense of fun from her parents. She was sealed to her family, July 27, 1950, in the Manti Temple.


Bernice had beautiful strawberry blonde hair and fair skin. She was descended from Pioneer stock. As a young girl, she was active in 4-H, FHA, and MIA. She helped on the family ranch and farm including milking cows and tromping hay. She graduated from seminary. In high school, she was a Doubles Tennis Champion and member of the drill team. She later completed her high school education as a young mother and graduated with her children cheering her on.

On March 19, 1955, Bernice married James Francis Stanton Jr. in Ferron. They were sealed in the Los Angeles Temple, April 13, 1957. They lived in the San Francisco area for seven years where five of their children were born and then in Provo, where they were joined by their last baby. They added a daughter, when they brought her home with them from their first mission.

Bernice loved the Relief Society where she served in many capacities including twice as Relief Society President. She held other callings, including work as the director of the Family History Center, Young Women's President, primary teacher, camp director, and visiting teacher. Additionally, she and Jim were service missionaries at the State Mental Hospital where she especially loved working with the Cub Scouts. One of her greatest joys was her service as an ordinance worker in the Provo Temple for many years.

She volunteered as director of the Waterford Learning Center, as a voting judge, and she and Jim served as shelter parents for abused children. Bernice generously used her sewing talents to bless those around her. Hundreds of people were invited to enjoy a meal at her table or to stay in her home for a day or for more than a year. She took the elderly to their appointments, cheered up the lonely, and no one in her neighborhood was ever alone on Thanksgiving.

Bernice served three missions with Jim as her companion: The California Oakland Mission and The Washington Tacoma Mission, where they worked with Cambodian refugees, and The Illinois Nauvoo Mission where she was director of the Family Living Center and site leader of the Sarah Granger Kimball home. From her missionary experience, she learned a little Cambodian, taught the gospel and homemaking skills, learned to weave, and gained life long friends.

She was an excellent homemaker. She was organized and purposeful. Bernice kept a beautiful home which was a haven for many. She scrubbed, bottled, baked, stitched, filed, crocheted, mended, and nurtured. One of her greatest loves was quilting and sewing. She created beauty. Each family member cherishes the individual Christmas stockings personalized with their names that she made for them. Her homemade macaroni and cheese was her grandchildren's favorite. Together, Bernice and Jim made the 4th of July the best holiday ever for their family with pancakes on the parade route in the morning and a delicious barbecue in the afternoon with their special homemade root beer.

She was a phenomenal grandmother who attended her grandchildren's and great-grandchildren's important events, got down on the floor with the babies, played games, taught them to sew, fed them, and loved them. Each one felt in some way, that they were her favorite.

Bernice could accomplish anything and she often managed several tasks at once, always with excellence. She knew how to laugh, she was as dependable as the sun, her word was her bond, she loved a project, and she was happiest when her home was filled with her family, with children spilling into the yard.

Bernice lived her testimony of the Gospel and of the Savior Jesus Christ. She chose the better part. She did not waver in her commitment to her values or in her service to her Savior. She tried to live by His example. She acknowledged and honored the powerful role of wife and mother. She taught her children to be strong and forthright and to find joy. Bernice's monumental contribution to this world was her service as wife, mother, and grandmother. Her influence is unmeasured and generations of her posterity will truly call her blessed.

She is survived by her husband, Jim; seven children: Evelyn Becker, James (Shawna) Stanton, Ruth (John) McAtee, Lloyd (Tamara) Stanton, Kathleen (Dean) Foote, Lora (John) Lund, and Rose (Matthew) Badell. She has 27 grandchildren and 47 great grandchildren. Additionally, she is survived by her brothers, Glenn (Enid) Cox, Harold (Gloria) Cox, Max Cox, and Phillip Cox, and her sisters, Dora (Ray) Smith, and Emma Dowda. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, Earl Cox, brother-in-law, Chuck Dowda, and nephew, Phillip Cox Jr.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at the Provo First Ward Chapel, 100 East 200 South, Provo. A viewing will be held the night before, May 8, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Walker Mortuary, 85 East 300 South, Provo. A viewing will also be held prior to services from 9:30 to 10:40 a.m. at the Provo First Ward Cultural Hall.