Mary Corinne Nielson Roring

January 23, 1928 ~ June 4, 2015
Mary Corinne (Nielson) Roring, age 87, passed away in South Jordan, Utah on June 4, 2015. She was born January 23, 1928 in Moab, UT, the daughter of Floyd Walton Nielson and Clara Mackelprang Jones.
She grew up in a home with hard working parents. Her father, Floyd, was a rancher and Clara was by his side raising their five children. They lived in Blanding, UT.
Corinne grew up caring for chickens, gathering eggs, milking cows, separating cream, and caring for a large garden. She learned to preserve the garden produce by canning and drying everything they grew. Nothing went to waste. She learned at a very young age to work and work hard.
Her life was full of work in and out of her home. She held several positions including working at Paul Black’s service station, employed as a secretary at the Uranium Mill, selling deer licenses, waitressing, and owning and operating Monticello Floral.
Corinne’s work ethic extended to her studies. She graduated from Blanding High School, then went on to Utah State University. In later years she earned a degree from the College of Eastern Utah on the Blanding campus.
While working in Monticello, she met John Edward Roring, a former marine and cotton farmer. John spent the summers in Monticello clearing and farming the land he had purchased. During the cold Monticello winters, he returned home to work in Mississippi.
Corinne and John dated on and off every summer. After a five-year romance, they married and made their home in Monticello, UT. Corinne and John worked side-by-side on their farm for over 51 years.
Corinne’s most cherished work was inspired by her love of San Juan County history. She was instrumental in putting together funds for local students to receive scholarships, which helped many to receive a college education.
Corinne began photographing old pictures of San Juan residents and their homes. As a result, she preserved thousands of pictures and histories.
However, her most important contribution to San Juan history has been the realization of her vision of the reconstruction of the site of the Old Bluff Fort; including the Co-op store and other adjacent historical buildings.
The Fort restoration started with the purchase of the last remaining cabin in Bluff – the Barton cabin – and it grew and grew from there. Corinne was the founder of the Bluff Fort restoration.
She was helped by other Hole-in-the-Rock descendants, volunteers, and especially the Hole in the Rock Foundation board members, and many full time LDS missionaries. They give tours and information about the Fort to interested visitors from around the world.
She said that the story of the Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers must be preserved and told so all generations may know of their valiant sacrifice and obedience. She often quoted her Danish grandfather, “If ve have plenty of stickie-ta-tudy, ve cannot fail.”
This was her mantra and was embedded into her very soul. In her own words, her only disappointment was, “Now when all the fun starts, I got old.”
Corinne was always concerned about others in need. She said, “You will never miss anything you give away in righteousness.”
Her example of charity positively affected those around her for years and will always continue to do so. She cherished her family, friends, the missionaries, and her country. She gave her all to her children and grandchildren and many, many others she cared about.
Corinne is survived by her children John Floyd (Tammy) Roring, Janie Kay (Jon) Lauritzen, and Michael Nielson (Kellie) Roring; 13 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren with four more on the way.
We will see Corinne again and know that she is the center of a joyous reunion with her family and friends on the other side of the veil. We know she continues to strive to move the work forward and preserve the heritage of the past in her new capacity.
Memorial services will be held in Monticello, UT at the LDS Stake Center, 165 South Main, at noon on Saturday, June 13, 2015. Viewings will be from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, June 12 and 10-11:30 a.m. on June 13 at the church. Internment will be in the Monticello Cemetery.
We want to give a special thanks to McDougal Funeral Home for their kind services.