Mourning the Passing of Friends: Forthcoming Funeral Services

“What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.  All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” ~ Helen Keller

Sarah Jean Taylor Johns

Our sweet wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Sarah Jean Taylor Johns, passed away on July 26, 2017. She had a wonderful life full of family and friends and doing things she loved, and a challenging life of illness and struggle with pain. But she was always ready with a smile whenever anyone, especially her grandchildren, were around.

She leaves behind many who love her and will miss her joyfulness and excitement. She was a beautiful person with a huge heart, compassionate and caring. She could talk your ear off and usually did, but was always ready to listen when someone needed a shoulder and a hug. She genuinely cared about people, whether they were family, friends, neighbors, or strangers, and was always filled with joy if she could do anything that made someone happy.

Sarah was born on June 28, 1947 to Glen and Maxine Taylor. She lived most of her life in Payson, Utah. She always enjoyed the area and the people she grew up around. She loved the Richardsons who lived down the block from her. They were there for her at times when she really needed it, and she considered them a second family. She spent the rest of her life living on that block, and anyone who lived in her neighborhood knew that they were lucky to have Sarah as a neighbor.

Sarah met Brent Johns in 1963 when they were sophomores in high school, beginning their 54 years together. Though she was ready to marry him when they first met, they had the good decency to graduate high school and were married a year later. A year after that they were sealed in the Salt Lake City LDS temple. They had four children, Reid, Jeremy, Melanie and Christopher. Sarah loved her children and later on adored her grandchildren. She blessed the lives of 12 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren, and 2 Great Danes, whom she lovingly treated like people.

Our mother loved music of all kinds and as kids we were lucky to be raised amongst it. She loved to sing, play the piano and flute, and encouraged any and all musical talents in her kids and grandkids. She loved to sing and did so any chance she got whether it was in the choir at church, karaoke night or just around the house. And although she didnʼt always hit the intended note, she never held back her passion for it.

Sarah loved to be creative. One of her favorite creative outlets was knitting. Sarahʼs knitting bag functioned much the way people today use cell phones; never leaving the house without it and using it at every possible opportunity. Each of her children and grandchildren at some time in their lives wore something that she carefully and lovingly made for them.

Anyone who spent any time around Sarah knew that she loved to play games. And no one knew that better than her grandchildren. Many a grandkid has been roped into a marathon of Sequence, Phase 10, or a myriad of other card and board games, each game almost always ending with, “Do you want to play one more time?” But it was all about spending time with them. She adored them and never wanted them to leave. Her family truly brought her joy and if she could have had them around her at every moment, she would have done it.

We know that she has touched many peopleʼs lives and we love hearing stories about their experiences with her. As her family, weʼre grateful for the love she gave, the talents she shared, and her love of life that we got to experience with her.

A viewing will be held on July 30th from 6 pm to 8 pm at Walker Mortuary in Payson, Utah. A memorial service will be on July 31st at 11 am at the Payson Mountain View 7th Ward building at 1023 Arrowhead Trail Rd, Payson, Utah 84651.