Jean Margaret Starner Sixfin's Obituary
Jean passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, September 27, 2020 at the Woodland Park Care Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jean’s family wishes to thank all of her nurses and those caring for her during the last 33 months, including Inspiration Hospice during the last two months, for their good care and comfort of Jean. We wish to also thank her friends for their love and support. Jean Margaret Starner Sixfin was born in Camden, New Jersey on July 10, 1945 to Charles Starner and Zola Bergen. At birth, she suffered from neurological conditions that caused severe weakness in the right side of her body where she had no use of her right arm and other physical impairments. Jean was an only child and with the care of her good parents she had a happy childhood. She mentioned several times that her Dad was always advocating for situations to help her be stronger and independent and her Mom was very protective of her. Jean generally opted to try her Dad’s independent thinking ideas and one can see her desire through her life to be independent and her quest to live, learn and grow independently in spite of her disabilities. Jean had many happy experiences with her parents growing up. They took her traveling on several adventures and she recalls the good times they experienced together before her Father passed away many years ago? Jean joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was 15 years old. She has been noted to say, “That she has always been interested in genealogy” since becoming a member of the Church. Jean graduated from Cherry Hill High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1964. Her autograph book depicts that she had many friends who loved and cared about her in school. After Jean’s Father passed, she and her mother Zola Bergen Starner moved to Salt Lake City. Jean was called on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in her early 20’s to Everett, Washington where she served a faithful mission for two years and later served another mission as a Temple Square missionary. In June, 1974, Jean graduated from Stevens Heneger College and received a degree in secretarial studies. She also graduated that same year from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City. From April 1994 through March, 1996, Jean served as a Family History missionary. Jean journals during her missions express much happiness while she was serving and she felt the love of her Heavenly Father. She mentioned in her journal that “love makes the World go round.” Jean was married to Richard Lanier in 1986 and was later divorced. On May 15, 2003, Jean married Sheldon Israel Sixfin in the Mount Timpanogos Temple. Sheldon was born into the Jewish faith but converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1997 in Salt Lake City. Jean’s Mother Zola passed away just two months after she married Sheldon. Sheldon and Jean were a happy couple and had several years together before Sheldon passed away on December 25, 2007. When Jean married Sheldon, she acquired a new family and especially loved Sheldon’s children, step children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. After Sheldon passed away, Jean struggled with grief for awhile but, with the help of her strong independent spirit and her many friends, she made it through those difficult times. During the time Jean was married to Sheldon, she enrolled in a paralegal program and graduated in 2005. Later, after Sheldon passed away, she was taking several courses at Columbia College including Law Enforcement and Forensics. Jean was very bright, loved learning and education. She was an avid reader with a library to confirm it. Jean also had good common sense which served her well. Especially wonderful to Jean was the opportunity she had to be a temple worker in the Salt Lake Temple in approx. 2016 and 2017. Even though Jean had many physical setbacks in her life, she continued faithfully moving forward with faith in her religion and served another Family History Mission assisting others in doing their genealogy work on line from 2015 through 2017. In January 2018, Jean was unable to walk and stand and had to move from Friendship Manor, where she had lived for at least 8 years and had many friends. She was relocated to Woodland Park Rehabilitation and Care, a skilled nursing facility in January 2018. It was determined within several months that she would not be able to walk again. This was life changing for Jean and, after the initial depression, she really seemed to make a smooth transition into her life there at Woodland Park. She had probably been prepared for this through her life and her faith in God helped her settle into her new life there. She became quite good at maneuvering her electronic wheelchair with one hand. The nurses and nursing director said that Jean was a favorite of the nurses and they were having a difficult time before she passed away. Jean suffered physical pain in her last months but seemed to have peace in the knowledge of her Savior and his loving arms that he extended to her during her last days on earth. Thank you for the care of the nurses and all those at Woodland Park who cared for Jean the last 33 months and helped keep her comfortable through a bout of Covid (which she survived), and in her final days. Also, thanks to Inspiration Hospice who gave her loving care and attention during the last two months. The people at Woodland Park and Inspiration Hospice gave excellent care and concern to Jean, family and friends and we sincerely thank them. Jean’s life has been an example of faith and happiness in the face of adversity and physical disability. She has demonstrated in her life the desire to succeed in many endeavors, including several missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, her educational pursuits and the desire to learn as much as she could. Jean’s obituary is just a small part of the composite of her life and there are many more memories and snapshots of her life to be shared. Jean had a blessing when she was young that said she would have the opportunity to have many friends throughout her life and that they would never abandon her in her circumstances. I am sure if Jean is listening today she would sincerely thank all her friends for being there for her during her life. And as her friends, we thank her for her strong testimony of the Gospel and her example to us of faith and endurance and for the many ways she has blessed our lives in knowing her and giving us the opportunity to serve her. We know she is happy to be with her dear parents and husband Sheldon and is enjoying the freedom of her current pain free condition in the spirit world. We love you Jean and will miss you. Jean is preceded in death by her father, Charles Starner, her mother Zola Bergen Starner and her husband, Sheldon Sixfin. She is survived by her late husband’s family and many friends. A viewing, 10:30 to 11:45 am, and funeral services, 12:00 pm, will be held on Thursday, October 8, 2020 at the Butler West Stake Center located at 1845 East 7200 South, Cottonwood Heights, Utah 84121. Flowers may be sent to the church beginning 9:30 am the day of the funeral. Interment will be at Larkin Sunset Gardens in Sandy, Utah.
Cemetery.
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