Gayle Clay

Gayle C Maxfield Clay, 90, passed away from this mortal life peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. She was born March 14, 1932 in Bountiful, Utah to George P. Clay and Dorothy Anna Cliff. She married Gerald (Jerry) J. Maxfield on November 20, 1951 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple who preceded her in death.

Gayle was raised in Hutchison, Kansas with her nine siblings, and attended Brigham Young University. Her family often entertained LDS soldiers during the Korean War at Ft. Riley, Kansas. It was here she met Jerry during an on-base orchestral performance that her family hosted and after a whirlwind romance, the two married a short three months later. Starting a family, however, would have to wait until her new husband returned from the battlefields of Korea. Upon his return, the two would eventually relocate to Utah Valley where they would remain the rest of their lives.

She loved music from classical and opera to barbershop. She sang in church choirs and played the cello in the Utah Valley Symphony. She enjoyed traveling, camping, hunting and fishing trips with her family, site seeing, picnicking, and socializing with family and friends. Her hobbies included cooking, crocheting, and oil painting. She was a store manager at Jolene’s, manager for Minute Print, and worked for Utah Power and Light for 22 years before retiring.

She was the embodiment of Christ-like virtues, tantamount to perfection: her love was unconditional; her faith and testimony in Christ unwavering; her humility and meekness divine; her purity of soul unequivocal; her devotion to family absolute; her compassion limitless; her patience infinite; her commitment to the Gospel unyielding; her life worthy of emulation by all; her tongue never spoke an ill word; and a friend to everyone with malice toward none and charity for all.

She perfectly understood and fulfilled the divine role and responsibilities of motherhood. Her greatest joy and happiness came from being a mother to her four sons and three daughters and a grandmother to her 91 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was patient, loving, kind and encouraging, always recognizing, and extolling the virtues in each of her children and grandchildren. She perfectly understood and fulfilled the divine role and responsibilities of being a loving and dedicated wife to her husband of 48 years. She was his greatest support in all his endeavors and activities. She was a stabilizing force and a constant source of comfort to her family throughout her life.

Her life can be summed up in one word – service: service to her family, friends, church, and perfect strangers. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a Relief Society President, in the Young Woman’s organization, Primary Teacher, and Visiting Teacher. Following the death of her husband, she served a proselyting mission in the England, Birmingham Mission in 2001. Upon her return, she met and married her second husband Eugene Rawson Clay May 16, 2003 in the Mount Timpanogos Temple for time only. Together they served a mission at Church Headquarters as well as ordinance workers in the Mount Timpanogos Temple in American Fork, Utah.

Gayle is survived by her second husband, Eugene Clay, and seven children: Chris (Donna) of Gainesville, Florida; Carla Erb (Allan) of St. George Utah; Connie Dixon (Riches) of St. George, Utah; Curtis (Terrilynne) of Bluffdale, Utah; Clark (Melissa) of Gallatin, Tennessee; Corey (Karen) of Aurora, Colorado; and Collette Howland of Castle Rock, Colorado; 31 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren, five great-great grandchildren and five siblings. She was preceded in death by her husband Jerry and her parents.

Viewings will be held Friday, May 13, 2022, at the Sundberg-Olpin Funeral Home from 6:00 - 8:00 pm 495 S State, Orem, Utah; and Saturday, May 14, 2022, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from 9:30 -10:30 am at 945 S 50 E, Orem, Utah. Funeral services will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 11:00 am at 945 S 50 E, Orem, Utah. Interment to follow in the Orem City Cemetery, 1520 N 800 E, Orem, Utah

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.

For those unable to attend in person, you may view the Services HERE

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