A Life Sketch of Jean Marie Heywood Tueller

Jean Marie Heywood Tueller passed away early Wednesday morning, August 14, 2019. In Panguitch, Utah, her parents, Marie Evans and Leland Delong Heywood, welcomed their fifth child on November 15, 1929. Her siblings were Florence, Helen, Frank, Myrl and Ludean (who lived for only a few days in 1932). Paternal and maternal family members surrounded Jean's early life in Panguitch. The family moved to Richfield, Utah, and later to Moab, where her father worked for the Forest Service.

In 1944, the family again moved to Cedar City, where in her freshman year at Cedar High School she met Blaine C. Tueller. In high school and college at Branch Agricultural College (now Southern Utah University), the two stayed together. Jean Marie's mother passed away when Jean was just nineteen years old. Jean kept a framed photograph of Grandma Marie in her bedroom, and her legacy of reading, teaching, serving and Christian living pervaded our home. Seventy years later, we take hope in God's plan where Jean Marie and Marie are sealed eternally. Think of that happy reunion. At the end of his life, Grandpa Leland came to live with the family while in Manila, Philippines, a priceless blessing for each member of the family.

Jean earned her B.S. in Home Economics in 1952, and began a Master's program in Early Child Education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. When Blaine returned from his mission in May, 1953, they were married in the Logan, Utah Temple a few weeks later on July 1, 1953. After years of rearing ten children, Jean Marie would often say, "I had a lot of theories and no children. Now I have many children and no theories." High expectations and abundant humor weren't theories for her, just everyday occurrences.

For the next sixty-six years, Jean and Blaine lived a life of family, home, travel, learning and love. Jean gave birth to their first daughter, Jan Tueller Lowman (Winfield N. Lowman) at Ft. Meade, Maryland, while Blaine completed his military service in the Army. After serving in the Army, the small family returned to Logan, where two more children were born – Anna Tueller Stone (Bernell K. Stone) and Matthew H. Tueller (DeNeece Gurney). Jean and Blaine moved to Dublin, Ireland, for his first Foreign Service posting where Marie Tueller Emmett (Chad F. Emmett) was born. Jean returned to Logan in 1960 after that first assignment where Diane Tueller Pritchett (Lant H. Pritchett) was born. Next, Blaine and Jean were off to Vienna, Austria, and then to northern Virginia, where Martha Tueller Barrett (Jeffrey A. Barrett) and Elisabeth Tueller Dearden (Kirk A. Dearden) joined the growing family. Jean had James B. Tueller (Beth D. Tueller) and Rachel Tueller (TBD) while residing in Tangier, Morocco. Jeanne Tueller Krumperman (Paul R. Krumperman) was born in Caracas, Venezuela, as Blaine continued to work at the U.S. Embassy and Jean made a home everywhere they went.

Moving every two or three years continued, with embassy postings in Panama City, Panama; Fairfax, Virginia; Manila, Philippines; Madrid, Spain; and back to Fairfax. Jean Marie kept track of her children's schooling from Dublin, Ireland, to Olympus High School, Holladay, Utah. She modeled learning and loving others. She always had a book she was reading. Even in later years with failing eyesight, she would read an electronic screen with the largest font, one letter or word at a time. She loved others, being the best listener, the greatest audience of one.

Jean still had more service to contribute. She worked at the ZCMI in the Cottonwood Mall, not far from their home in Holladay. She liked earning an hourly wage and even better the employee discount. Between 1993 and 1996, Jeana and Blaine served together as he presided over the Greece, Athens mission. They helped congregations and members in Greece, Cyprus,

Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Albania. As part of their calling, the two traveled often, meeting fellow saints and sharing the gospel, sometimes with words, always by example. In every home, scripture reading, church magazines and family home evening, as well as treats, happened. Jean learned primary songs in many languages – "Give Said the Little Stream," "Called to Serve" and "Little Purple Pansies" among the favorites. Lessons learned: ​give, oh, give away; far and wide His love proclaim; we are very tiny but must try, try, try/Just one spot to gladden, you and I​. When strangers knocked at her door, sometimes to the embarrassment of her children, she always had money, food and abundant kindness. King Benjamin's words from ​The Book of Mormon​ lived through her: Ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain" [Mosiah 4:16].

After their mission, they returned to Utah, and for several years Blaine and Jean enjoyed serving in the Salt Lake City Temple, waking up early for the first shift. Along with temple experiences, Jean Marie continued collecting--nativity sets, dolls, spoons, quilts, and coins, as well as children, homes, countries, and people. Everywhere she went, she welcomed the stranger, the weak and the lonely. Young children visited her house to see and play with her collections – the Nativity sets, dolls and Pez dispensers will continue on in her children's and grandchildren's homes. Her compassionate connections to extended family, new friends, the old and the lonely will continue as well, since she modelled how to do it. How else would a Mr. Vel from Hungary, a World War II veteran, bed-ridden and alone in Manila, Philippines, circa 1980 end up in her house with the best of care? Or how else to explain how many children of the Lehi 36t​ h Ward knew her and came to say "hello" before Sacrament Meeting began? Perhaps her most treasured collection, however, are her ten children, thirty grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and the "out-laws." (Jean's children, in fact, learned that in order to get our mother's attention, it often helped to say "Aunt Jean.") She could remember and tell stories about each of us. Blaine attests that he would begin a conversation, saying "now, so-and-so is doing this. What's the name, Jean?" Sitting in her chair, you might have thought she hadn't heard or was asleep, but she would pipe up "you are thinking of . . ." and supply the name.

Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren will remember fondly the "birthday bucks" they received when they came to visit her around or soon after their birthdays. Herself a child of the Depression, Jean Marie believed in the value of hard cash, and she kept track of every penny. Nothing pleased her more than entrusting a child with the responsibility of managing money from her account.

During the last few years, with declining health, eyesight and hearing, Jean Marie endured her diminishing circumstances with characteristic patience and fortitude. She was grateful, as are all our family members, for excellent care from Canyon Home Care and Hospice and Covington Senior Living of Lehi.

In honor of Jean Marie's quiet influence in the lives of so many individuals around the world, a scholarship has been established at Utah Valley University for international students who show potential for emulating the values of education, family, and community that Jean held so dear. It is the Blaine Carlson and Jean Marie Heywood Tueller Scholarship.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, August 24t​ h​, at 11:00 a.m. at the Lehi 36t​ h​ Ward at 1631 East 900 North in Lehi. A viewing will be held on Friday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Wing Mortuary, 118 East Main Street, Lehi and again Saturday morning from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. at the Lehi 36t​ h Ward Chapel.

--James B. Tueller

Your memories and stories about my mother will comfort the wider family very much. Please share at the Wing Mortuary website.