Donna Crase

Donna Marilyn Taylor Crase, 76, passed away September 15, 2021 in Cedar City, Utah. She passed from ongoing medical conditions that her body finally succumbed to.  Knowing her health was declining rapidly, a few months ago she made the statement that she wished that when it was her time she would go quickly. Her Father in Heaven was merciful, granted her request and took her quickly with very little suffering. Donna was born April 17, 1945 in Loma Linda, CA to Albert Oswald Taylor and Rachael Mae Cunningham. She grew up in San Bernardino County, California with her parents and 2 little sisters, Marlene and Laura. Donna graduated from San Bernardino High School where her passion was being on the drill team. She went to college at San Bernardino Valley College, Salt Lake Community College and Weber State University. She lived in California, Montana and Utah through-out her life. She spent the last 20 years in Iron County Utah, mostly in Enoch. At the time of her passing she lived with her daughter Mary Ellen Louise Crase Billings (Robert Eugene Billings) and grand-daughters Kyra Marie Crase, Donna Noel Crase and Breeonna Danielle Billings on their dream farm and homestead in Kanarraville Utah where Donna loved Mary Ellen’s goats pigs and chickens and was always found snuggling a baby of some sort. She was very excited about what they would be doing in the coming years on the farm especially an orchard of peach trees, elephant heart plums, apples and grapevines!  
Seeking the Lord at a young age (as early as 7 years old) she sought to know the truth of God. She found and loved the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She was baptized at the age of 16 and was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She loved genealogy, temple work and sharing the gospel. She had a very strong testimony of the Gospel and always sought to share her love of Christ.
Her hobbies and passions in her life were music, singing, gardening, cooking, dancing, playing games, science, history, serving others and patriotism.
She had a beautiful powerful voice and was often asked to sing in public and private venues. Until this year she always grew beautiful gardens and loved her fruit trees! You’d be driving down the freeway and she could identify nearly any tree or plant she saw! She loved cooking and she created so many of her own very good recipes. She loved line dancing or just getting on the dance floor, doing the electric Slide or Boot Scoot ’n Boogie were her favorites. She LOVED to play games! Her children remember family game nights with games she bought or even created. Even until the end of her life she played hours of cards each and every day! She loved science but especially biology. Science always fascinated her and was always reading some new science fact. Donna loved the constitution, the Republican Party, standing for freedom. She served her communities she lived in by serving on boards and being an active role anywhere she lived. She was very proud that she wrote bills and spoke on the senate floor in Utah. She was a lobbyist and successfully lobbied Salt Lake to get a large park for Taylorsville Utah where she lived for 23 years. She served on the Taylorsville Community council and in 1986 ran for the state legislature.   She was always excited to discuss and fight for her favorite 2 presidents Thomas Jefferson and Donald J. Trump, the constitution, the rights for unborn babies or any other political injustice that she felt needed to be fought for!
Donna made a point in her life to take a “trip” every year. Whether it be to go to Yellowstone, California, or Mexico she loved to travel and make memories with her family!  Near the end of her life, she had a bucket list of her “dream trip”. In 2019, she took her ultimate dream trip - to go to Washington DC! Her favorite part was to sing God Bless America at the Jefferson Memorial, to see the constitution in person, watch the senate floor in action, watched the Memorial Day parade and PBS Memorial Day tribute live. She met Orrin Hatch in the President Pro tempore room just minutes after Vice President Pence left. She even sat in the same seat he was just in, at the president Pro Tempore desk. It truly was the happiest week of her life!  
She was a Registered Nurse for over 30 years and enjoyed serving her patients wherever she worked weather that was in pediatric ICU, home health, hospice or psych nursing. The last years of her life she fulfilled her dream of having a licensed assisted living, which she ran out of her home, for over 10 years. She loved her clients and they always became family. She loved to engage in city council meetings, gathered signatures for referendums, weekly went to senior center activities and had a standing appointment every Monday, that was never missed, where she had lunch and games all afternoon with Debbie Holms and Mary Ellen Crase- Billings. It was often the highlight of her week.
She is survived by her 8 Children: Kathryn Rachael Kent Crase Bailey (Charles Thomas Bailey) of Las Cruses New Mexico, Thomas Albert Kent Crase, of California,  Heather Ellen Crase Johnson (Kevin Johnson) of Pittboro, North Carolina, Jennifer Fern Crase Goodwin (Christopher Goodwin) of San Diego, CA, Adam Clayton Crase (Joss Zhang Crase) of Dongguan, China, Candice Ann Crase Walters (Thomas  Evan Walters) of Bountiful Utah, Christina Marie Crase Owens (Robert Carl Owens) of Bountiful, Utah and Mary Ellen Louise Crase Billings (Robert Billings) of Kanarraville, Utah. 21 Grand- Children, Kyra Marie Crase, Donna Noel Crase, Breeonna Danielle Billings, Emily Kaylene Billings, Hailey Jo Billings, Chase William Billings, Robert Karl Owens, Winter Anne Owens Lindsey, Baylie Anne-Marie Nixon, Alyssa Dawn Walters, Bracken Thomas Walters, Braden Mathew Thomas Ostmark, Spencer Goodwin, Preston Goodwin, Trevor Thomas Shephard, Emily Fae Johnson, Sophie Diane Johnson, Ole Alexander Johnson, Rachel Fern Bailey, Charles Levi Bailey, Thomas Anthony Crase. And 7 great Grandchildren: Ian Thomas George, Emily Jane Carmody, Robert Henry Dams, Misty Joe Dams, Malachi Jordan Lindsey and 2 more. Her sisters Marlene Mae Taylor Carr (Terry Carr) and Laura “Lolly” Taylor and their children. Her second ex-husband Thomas Lee Crase (m. 1972 div. 1996)
Preceded in death by her parents Albert Oswald Taylor and Rachael Mae Cunningham and first ex-husband Thomas Augustus Kent (m. 1963 div. 1966 d. 1997)
Funeral Services will be held Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 12:00 noon at the LDS chapel in Kanarraville, Utah. Viewings will be held Friday, September 24th from 5:00-7:00pm and again on Saturday, September 25th from 11:00-11:45am both at the Church. Interment will be directly after the funeral service in the Enoch Utah Cemetery, under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. Online condolences can be sent at www.sumortuary.com The family prefers potted plants/ trees from Ladybug nursery that can be planted outside to be for a memorial garden/ orchard for Donna in Lieu of flowers as fruit trees and plants were what she LOVED. (Note: Please do NOT use the link on this page for trees, but contact Ladybug Nursery directly at https://ladybugnursery.com/ )

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