Ileen Paice Harris' Obituary
Our wonderful Mother, Ileen Paice Olson Harris, daughter of C. Edwin and Martha Dean Paice, passed away and is again with her sweetheart Arthur L. Olson. We will miss her kind and gentle spirit. She was preceded in death by 3 brothers and 4 sisters and leaves behind, her sister Shirley Sessions, her children Art Olson (Maggie), Kristie Weber (Scott), Scott Olson (Melody), Gary Olson (Janet), Ed Olson (Christina), Nancy Olson Higgins, Julie Honey (Doug), 29 grandchildren and 73 great-grandchildren. She returned home the day after her 95th birthday and the day her 73rd great-grandchild was born.
She lived a full life. She married Art Olson and was married for 26 years. After Art died, she later married Keith Harris to whom she was married for 35 years. She now rejoins Art after 50 years of being apart.
She played the alto saxophone in a dance band while in high school and while attending the University of Utah. She was a rodeo dairy princess in Beaver, Utah. She hiked to the top of Timpanogos one year and to the Y on the mountain above her home in Provo many times. She coached her ward’s young women’s basketball team. She was also the young women’s camp director for years. She sang in the Madsen Memorial Chorus. She sang for years with the Sweet Adelines chorus, the women’s version of barbershop-style singing. She took classes at BYU. She served as the Relief Society President and as a counselor in her ward. She and Keith served two missions, one in Texas and one in Arizona.
She was dedicated to family history and spent years researching her ancestors. She was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She had multiple family members’ children and grandchildren live with her while they lived in Provo and worked or went to school.
She played the piano for most of her life, starting at 8 years old, and loved playing at assisted living centers for elderly people who were often younger than her. She lived a life of service to others. She loved playing the card game SkipBo with anyone who came to visit. She loved water aerobics and swimming laps three times a week into her 91st year. She enjoyed exercising and doing Tai Chi. Her home was a place relatives regularly stopped by on their way to other places for a meal or a place to stay. She loved visiting those who were lonely, sick, or elderly and was one of the most positive and friendly people you would ever meet. She loved to visit with or be visited by family. She loved her crazy kids, grandkids, and great-grandchildren. We love her and will miss her. She lived and loved so well.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the humanitarian or missionary fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The funeral will be held at the Provo Peaks 4th ward, 600 E. 667 N. Provo, UT. It will be held on October 6th. The viewing will be from 9:30-10:45 a.m. and the funeral will begin at 11 a.m.
What’s your fondest memory of Ileen?
What’s a lesson you learned from Ileen?
Share a story where Ileen's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Ileen you’ll never forget.
How did Ileen make you smile?
