Glenice Dee Lewis Mantz February 21, 1939 ~ September 29, 2024
On September 29, 2024, our beloved sister, mother, wife, aunt, grandmother, and great grandmother passed away after years of battling a debilitating illness.
Glenice leaves behind an incredible legacy that touches the lives of many people. She is going to be missed by many people, including her husband Paul, her siblings, her children, her bonus children, and numerous grandchildren, who all benefited from Glenice's kindness, generosity, and love.
Glenice was born on February 21, 1939, to John and Pearl Lewis. She was the oldest of her siblings. She grew up in Monticello, UT, her favorite place in the world.
She never wanted to leave the shadow of the Abajos. She dedicated many hours of service in that community through volunteering for the Pioneer Day Parade committee and the San Juan County Fair board. This service to her little town brought her joy and a love for the people with whom she worked and lived.
She graduated from Monticello High School in 1957 and except for some time spent in Richland, WA, Provo, Sandy, and Moab, she lived the majority of her life in her beloved town.
Glenice met Stephen Nielson in high school, and they married shortly after she graduated from high school.
From that union, Glenice had eight children whom she loved dearly, Tami (Max) Halls, Amber (Steve) Semadeni, Kelli (David) Taylor, Camille Taylor, Layne (Mitzi) Nielson, Roxanne (Todd) Eldredge, Ryan (Camie) Nielson, and Tyler (Jenny) Nielson.
Glenice taught her children kindness, charity, hard-work, independence, and a host of other life lessons that they carry with them and have passed down to other generations.
Glenice was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had various callings, but the ones that she enjoyed most were Relief Society President (twice), Primary President, and a three-year mission with Paul in the Monticello Temple in which they served faithfully two days each week.
She loved the Lord and exemplified the teaching of Christ through her charitable and kind personality. A lot of people loved Glenice, and she returned that love by the way she treated others.
Glenice met and married her best friend Paul Mantz in 1991. Not only did she gain a hiking buddy for life, but she also acquired some bonus children: Kit (Celia) Mantz, Tina (Jerry) Murdock, Eric (Natalie) Mantz, Laura Mantz, and Robert (Joanna) Mantz.
Paul and Glenice spent years side by side enjoying their life together. Besides hiking all over this beautiful county, they rode horses together, went 4-wheeling, and participated in cowboy action shooting of rifles, pistols, and shotguns, where Glenice earned state champion status in her age group.
One could see Glenice enjoying her life, sporting her most favorite pair of jeans. Paul and Glenice were inseparable in this life.
Glenice was very talented. She was constantly busy creating a beautiful home, crocheting, quilting, stitching, riding horses, caring for others, and raising children. In fact, her quilts and hand stitching won her blue-ribbons in the county fair.
And it was her love that gained her a legacy that will last for generations to come. There will be a memorial service for Glenice on Saturday, October 19 at 10 am at the LDS Church at 165 South Main Street in Monticello.