Marsha Kaye Morton's Obituary
Marsha Kaye Morton
1948-2025
Marsha Kaye Morton, 77, of Millcreek, Utah, died after being released by a hospitalization for sepsis in South Jordan, Utah on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
Marsha was born in Rexburg, Idaho on March 27, 1948 to Ermel Joseph Morton and Lena Gertsch Morton. She was the third of 5 children. At the age of 3, she accompanied her parents when they were called as missionaries to the Tongan Islands. Her Father was the principal of Liahona College and her mother taught. They were there for six years returning to Rexburg when Marsha was 9. From 1959-1961 she moved to Bloomington, Indiana while her father obtained a PhD. Upon their return, Marsha attended local schools and graduated from Madison High School in Rexburg, Idaho.
Marsha graduated from Ricks College with an associate’s degree in nursing in 1968, served a mission for the LDS Church in Hawaii, and then worked at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake. She received a BS in nursing from Brigham Young University in 1974. After graduating she worked at Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix Arizona for four years and then obtained a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in adult health nursing focused on education. Marsha taught at Westminster College in Salt Lake City for 30 years before retiring in 2011. Some of the courses she taught were gerontological nursing, research, adult medical-surgical and pharmacology. After her retirement, she continued to teach in the nursing laboratory as well as at various health clinics for many years. She was honored with an honorary doctorate of nursing from Westminster in 2013. While at Westminster she pioneered a course called Exploring Hopi and Dine (Navajo) Nations. She took students each May to southern Utah and northern Arizona to teach them trans-cultural nursing.
Marsha’s life was one of compassion, respect and love for others. She was the aunt/great-aunt that every family needs and loves. She loved going to the theatre and taking her family with her. She loved to travel and traveled widely throughout the U.S. and to at least 21 different countries. Her favorites were Switzerland and Norway. In 2008, she returned to Tonga to attend the coronation of King George Tupou V, King of Tonga, a childhood friend of hers. She delighted in children. She would spend the entire year buying the perfect gift or card for friends and family. She was a true friend. Once you were her friend, you were always her friend.
Marsha was a true disciple of Jesus Christ. She served faithfully in whatever calling she was asked. She served as a primary teacher, Relief Society teacher at the Care Center located in her ward, many years as the Single Adult Representative, secretary in several organizations but she really enjoyed serving in the Relief Society Presidency. She also loved serving in the nursery. Even as she went in the hospital for the last time, she was concerned about her children in the nursery.
Marsha was preceded in death by her parents, Ermel Joseph and Lena Gertsch Morton and her nephew, John Enoch Morton. She is survived by her siblings: Lorraine (Arden) Ashton, Allan Ermel (Jaime) Morton, Richard Wayne (Jan) Morton and Annette (Brent) Bracken. She is also survived by 12 nieces and 6 nephews and numerous grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
Funeral services will be 11:00 am, Saturday, July 12, 2025 at the Brookshire Ward Chapel, 3487 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah where a viewing will be held prior to services from 9:30 am to 10:45 am and Friday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Interment and graveside services will be 11:00 am, Monday, July 14, 2025 at the Springville Evergreen Cemetery, 1997 South 400 East, Springville, Utah. For those who were unable to attend the funeral services, a recording was made: https://youtu.be/0I5H6yayW7g
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