Maevonne Stanger Beyrooty's Obituary
Our dear mother, (Dora) Maevonne Stanger Beyrooty, while surrounded by her loved ones, slipped quietly and painlessly into the Paradise of our Heavenly Father on Sunday, February 4. She was 91.
Mom was born on May 29, 1926 in American Falls, Idaho, the 8th child (and 3rd of 4 daughters) of stalwart pioneer parents, John Rudger Stanger and Alta Pearl Hunt.
She grew up in the nearby hamlet of Neely, disciplined in the labors of a farm at the hand of her competent, wise, and gentle mother, and always accompanied in work and fun by her “best buddy”, younger sister Maxine.
Her mother and close sister were no doubt among the very first souls she embraced after passing into the Spirit World…
From the beginning, she was always an unwavering believer in the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was the center of her worship, service, and social activities throughout her life.
Mom graduated from American Falls High School in 1944, having excelled especially in typing and secretarial skills, which she used to earn personal and family incomes in working for a variety of noted organizations in Utah and California for many decades afterward. She moved to the big town of Ogden, Utah a mere 7 days after her graduation, to live with her older sister Jan (goodbye farm life!).
In Ogden, while dancing away at the popular White City ballroom, she met her first husband, Glenn Sanders, a recent WW2 vet from Nebraska. They were married in on September 27, 1946. After a brief stay in Boise, ID, they moved to booming Southern California in 1948. Between 1950 and 1961, they had their 3 children, John, Lori, and Tod. Mom’s final home was in Tustin, Orange County, CA, from 1967 to 2017, much to the delight of her relatives and posterity, who often spent vacation times in her home (on their way to the beach!).
Sadly, Mom divorced from Dad on May 29, 1975.
In Las Vegas, on October 28, 1976, Mom began a new life by marrying a widower, John Beyrooty, Sr., from Downey, CA (also a WW2 vet). They bought out the home in Tustin to stay there.
With John, Mom acquired a new family with John’s three sons John Jr., Paul and Dennis and their wives and became the only grandmother (called “Grandma Mae”) their 7 children came to know on the Beyrooty side. All of them loved Mom for her friendliness, kindness, and interest in them.
With fun-loving John, Mom travelled a great deal across the States and as far-away as the Caribbean and Brazil to visit their family members and friends, and to attend John’s Army Reunions and Mom’s Hunt Reunions. What an expansion of experiences and acquaintances they had after getting married!
Mom was widowed by John’s passing on March 15, 2006.
Interests. Mom’s greatest enjoyments in life were: visiting with--and serving--family members and friends; singing (as a soprano in Church choirs); dancing (!!!); movie-going; bowling; reading (Gospel, novels and biographies); letter and diary writing; and playing parlor games (see Rummy Cubes).
Mom’s accomplishments? No doubt, Mom would point to her extensive posterity of good people:
Mom’s survivors are: her last living sibling, Pearl Stanger Larrison of Costa Mesa, CA. Daughter: Lori Sanders Schwab (John). Sons: John Sanders (Suely) and Tod Sanders (Kathleen). John Beyrooty, Jr. Paul Beyrooty (Gema), and Dennis Beyrooty (Denise).
18 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.
What’s your fondest memory of Maevonne?
What’s a lesson you learned from Maevonne?
Share a story where Maevonne's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Maevonne you’ll never forget.
How did Maevonne make you smile?