Norma Perkins Young

December 26, 1914 ~ May 17, 2015
Norma Perkins was born in Salt Lake City on December 26, 1914. A few weeks later, mother Cornelia Adams Perkins, and baby Norma traveled to Thompson Springs by train where her father, Daniel B. Perkins, met them in a covered wagon equipped with a stove and their needs for the three-day trip to Monticello.
Norma grew up in Monticello feeling that she was the most fortunate girl in the world. She loved life on the farm and in the small close-knit community with many cousins and friends.
She loved being a granddaughter of San Juan pioneers. She wrote Anchored Lariats on the San Juan Frontier to tell their story.
Norma graduated from Monticello High School in 1932 and Brigham Young University in 1936. She taught school in Richfield until her handsome cowboy, Clyn Porter Young, returned from his LDS mission in Hawaii.
On December 23, 1938, Norma and Clyn were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Several days later, they departed for the Hawaiian Islands, where they lived for two and one half years.
When they returned to San Juan County, they had a young son, Malcolm, and LeiMomi was on the way.
In 1941, they settled in Monticello for a time. They also lived in Blanding and the LC Ranch, where Jerri joined the family in 1944. They fixed up an old farm house brought in from the ranch and moved into their home until 1970.
Four more siblings arrived every two years, Clyn L, Lowell, Glade, Merril. Six years later, baby sister Elaine arrived. Dad dubbed her Nani, Hawaiian for ‘beautiful’.
Clyn died in an accident in 1971. In 1972, the children encouraged their mom to move to Provo, near where most of them lived. In Provo, she took care of her mother, Grandma Perkins, until she passed away in 1982.
Over several years she worked in the Provo Temple, traveled to Israel, served a full-time mission in Georgia, wrote two books and numerous poems and short stories.
In 1990, she moved to West Jordan and drove to the temple two days a week to serve. She could no longer drive after macular degeneration set in, so she lived in Nani and Val Hill’s apartment. Ten years later, she moved into Doug and Momi Sampson’s apartment, where she resided until she passed away on May 17, 2015.
In her later years, Norma kept busy working at the temple and taking trips with family members. She spent time visiting with her children at their homes. She wrote poems and stories and told stories to the residents of the care center nearby.
She had a great sense of humor and when something amusing happened, she would write a clever poem about it.
She took long walks everyday with her walking sticks to keep her steady and enjoyed listening to wonderful books on her cassette player.
Norma always loved her home in Monticello. Often she would say that she felt like she was just visiting Northern Utah, her real home was in Southeastern Utah.
After all, her grandfathers had been among the first settlers in both Bluff and Monticello and Clyn’s family had been some of the early settlers of Blanding.
Through all the years, her testimony of the Savior never wavered. She served faithfully in leadership callings in all the church auxiliaries.
She looked forward with great anticipation to the time she would be reunited with her eternal companion. Her fondest hopes were centered on her eternal family and she admonished us to live so those hopes would be realized. Certainly her living example was an inspiration to each life she touched.
Norma’s posterity numbers near 250. She is survived by children Malcolm (Ilene) Young, LeiMomi (Doug) Sampson, Jerri (Keith) Nielson, Clyn L (Nianne) Young, Lowell (Peggy) Young, Glade (Heather) Young, Merril (Terry) Young, Elaine “Nani” (Val) Hill and brother DeMar (Helen) Perkins, and all but three grandchildren and two daughters-in-law.
Funeral services are Wednesday, May 27 in West Jordan, 3783 W. 9380 S. Viewing at 10 a.m. and service at noon. Services in Monticello are at north chapel on Saturday, May 30 at noon with viewing at 10 a.m. Burial in the Monticello Cemetery.
Visit serenicare.com to share messages and memories.
Card of thanks
We give a special thanks to her many friends and loved ones who cared about her, and also her friends from 5-Star Hospice, Merrill, Rick, Melissa, Chris, Julie, Marlise and Dr. Palma.