Jewell Redd Adams April 2, 1929, ~ October 23, 2025

Jewell Redd Adams stepped into the next life on October 23, 2025 into the arms of her loved ones who had gone before. She was born on April 2, 1929, in Blanding, UT to Lemuel Burton Redd and Cynthia Irene Hatch.
She, along with her five brothers and sister – Burton, Johnnie, Kermit, Keith, Francell, and Lloyd – were raised by their saintly mother in Blanding during the Great Depression.
Her only memories of her father came from her siblings. She was barely 18 months old when he passed away unexpectedly in 1930.
Jewell is the last of 171 first-cousins who called Lemuel Hardison Redd Sr. (1836-1910) Grandpa. Her passing came 146 years after the birth of the first of those cousins and marks the end of a significant era in the family.
At 18, she married Lisle Gee Adams, also 18, on March 12, 1948, in the Mesa Arizona Temple. The two had been "an item" since the seventh grade in the halls of San Juan High School, where they were both members of the graduating Class of 1947.
In 1950, they made the big 20-mile move from Blanding to Monticello, which was their home for the next 68 years until Lisle's passing on May 4, 2016.
They lived on Blue Mountain Drive on Monticello's west side, where their four children had only to cross a couple of barbed wire fences to reach the foot of the Blue Mountains, which provided the setting for hundreds of fond memories.
Those children, Greg (Connie), Mark (Jerilyn), Rob (Nancy), and Janice (Gordon) Lowe were blessed to grow up on a street where Jewell, along with at least a dozen other mothers worked together like members of a well-honed jazz band to ensure all the kids on the block stayed out of serious trouble, yet giving them enough freedom to make the kinds of mistakes that lead to the acquisition of common sense, the necessary precursor to wisdom.
At five feet and weighing less than a hundred pounds, Jewell was a tiny force of nature for the entire county. She knew the birthdays of nearly every man, woman, and child in both Blanding and Monticello. Her memory remained strong to the end.
She was an excellent cook who made delicious fudge, butter mints, honey candy, brownies, and rolls. Whether for a wedding, funeral, or family reunion, she could always be counted on to help feed the masses.
Jewell was an immaculate housekeeper. While lying on her deathbed, fading in and out of consciousness, the last words from her mouth were, "Don't get the house dirty."
With her passing, the Utah Jazz lost one of their most loyal and faithful fans. Her love for the team extended beyond the players to their wives and children. When the Jazz were behind, she could be found on her knees pleading for help from above.
Jewell had many friends, nieces, and nephews who were so faithful in visiting as her health declined. She loved you all more than you know.
She had a burning testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. She spent a lifetime of service in her ward in various callings.
President Gordon B. Hinckley called her and Lisle to serve as the first president and matron of the Monticello Utah Temple, dedicated in 1998, the first of the smaller temples that now dot the globe.
They served in that capacity for five years. She always considered the time spent in that assignment as the greatest blessing of her church service.
The family expresses their heartfelt gratitude to the capable staff at the San Juan Hospital who worked so hard to make mom's bittersweet passing both memorable and comforting.
Funeral services begin at noon on Monday, November 17 at the Monticello North Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Visitation begins at 10 am.