St. George, Utah - Francine LaRae Jackson, age 84, passed away on June 12, 2023, due to complications of kidney failure and a broken hip.  She was born in Porterville, Utah on January 19, 1939, and was the first of five children of Leo and Nora Porter.  She was married to Larry Gene Jackson on June 16, 1956, by her father who was her bishop at the time.  On June 21, 1957, the couple was sealed in the Logan Temple, but they later divorced.

LaRae worked a variety of jobs throughout her life to supplement the family income, including as a youth weeding in her Uncle Lawrence's cabbage and lettuce fields, and as a teenager at the Dee Hospital in the kitchen wearing a golden yellow uniform, then as a newlywed working in the kitchen of a care center even while pregnant with her fourth child.  After their move to Vernal, she babysat for .25 cents an hour per child and sometimes had up to 35 children throughout a day.  For their lunches, she often made 45 to 50 loaves of bread a week for sandwiches.  During the same time, she also took in ironing and did yard work for a neighbor.  One of her favorite jobs was her four summers working at the Searle greenhouse where she "loved working in the soil and watching things grow".  She was able to take home some of the starts to plant flowers and a garden at her house.  LaRae much preferred being outside doing gardening and yard work and was not that interested with the inside cleaning and cooking.  Later she worked at Vincent Dairy.  LaRae was a cashier at McNeil's Market and dealt with young shoplifters.  She worked part-time at the Vernal Sears Catalog store.  From 1979 to 1981, she was paid .50 for every government survey she was able to get parents to fill out as she went home to home.  LaRae was also a substitute teacher for schools in Vernal with her "favorite grades" being 3rd and 4th.

LaRae helped build the family's new home in Naples, including helping with the sheetrock, mudding, texturing, pouring concrete, and stapling the many yards of heating wires in the ceiling.

In 1986, after a difficult divorce, LaRae embarked on the brave second part of her adult life as a "displaced homemaker."  Much to her credit, she completed a GED high school diploma and, at age 47, enrolled in a vocational program in Ogden where she was both "thrilled and scared" not having been to school for over 30 years.  To determine interests and possible career choices, she took an optional Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery test (AFVAB) and scored an almost perfect score!  Her diligence and prayers during her schooling paid off, and she received the 1987 Utah Outstanding Vocational Student award and was honored by the governor at the time for her excellent scholastic achievements.  She was hired by and worked 17 years with State Farm Insurance Company in Ogden starting at $5.12 an hour.  While living in Ogden and later after moving to St. George, LaRae made "nearly 500" blankets and quilts, along with knitting many baby sweaters given to new babies in her growing family.

LaRae's many health challenges began early in her life.  Some of the health issues she battled over her lifetime included things like ulcerated colitis, sarcoidosis, early onset rheumatoid arthritis, kidney and bladder stones, breast cancer, double knee replacement, a hip replacement, compression fracture, spinal stenosis, thyroid removal, a severe case of shingles that resulted in her losing her left eye, and recurrent kidney failure.  Even with severe arthritis which crippled her hands, she adapted by using a stylus for her I-pad which she held somewhat awkwardly in her hand.  LaRae liked communicating with family members and long-time friends through Facebook and Messenger and keeping up with the activities of her family.

LaRae was a master Scrabble player and played on-line with dozens of people, literally world-wide.  She told us recently her scores had put her in the top ten.  She loved game nights with family and friends.  Among her favorites were Scrabble, Scattergories, Farkle, and Pennies.  Equally as enjoyable were her movie nights with treats and family.  This love turned into her "Movies-with-LaRae" at Spring Gardens Senior Living Center where she would advertise, and then show, up to three movies a week being careful to screen the content to ensure appropriateness for those in attendance.

LaRae loved listening to country music. In her younger years, LaRae really liked Vince Gill, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline.  Later in life, she ended up with a collection of over 100 CDs of country western music, many of the Gaither's whom she loved listening to or watching on DVDs.  She also loved to travel with family and was able to take a Church History and American History tour back east, a Hawaiian cruise where she faced her fear of water and snorkeled in the ocean and was thrilled to hang glide behind a motorboat!  She also loved her travels to Japan and Alaska and several U.S. states to visit family.

LaRae was diligent with writing her life history and has five, big, three-ring binders filled with the details of her, and her family's lives. Along with being a homemaker and working part-time jobs, LaRae served in a variety of church callings which included being in the presidencies of Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society.  However, her favorite callings were those that allowed her to teach, such as Relief Society spiritual living lessons, Gospel Principles teacher, and Gospel Doctrine teacher, and by so doing fulfilled promises given to her in her patriarchal blessing that she had a gift for teaching.  She spent hours and hours preparing, often carefully including hand-lettered posters of quotes and scriptures she eagerly wanted to share.

LaRae was a devoted church member and had several significant moments in her life where, hearing an admonition from a prophet or apostle, made a firm commitment to simply obey.  This included a cold turkey stop of caffeinated drinks, not using face cards, and just recently abandoning politically charged social media posts.  LaRae loved learning about the gospel, so as an adult, she began attending weekly institute classes and became a serious student of the scriptures.  In her later years, she spent hours a day listening to previous general conference talks going back in time to 1950, and she enjoyed listening to hours of podcasts on her I-pad studying the "Come Follow Me" program.  For years, she loved working in the St. George Temple and attended over 24 different temples over time.  She found refuge in the temple and sought the peace of the temple many times during her life.  Her sincerest prayers were answered inside the walls of a temple.  She loved being in The House of the Lord.

LaRae LOVED the Book of Mormon and made a life-long study of that book of scripture.  She has read and/or listened to the Book of Mormon at least 235 times, including reading it twice in one month.   Her study of the Book of Mormon sustained her throughout her life.  On the front cover of one of the Books of Mormon in which she studied every day, LaRae wrote the following: "This has meant so much to me since receiving it in 1975.  I have tried to apply its principles – sometimes succeeding and sometimes struggling.  It has seen me through times of illness, divorce, joys, and sorrows, always to lift and show the way.  May it likewise bless your life."  Yes, she had a deep love and testimony of the Book of Mormon!  And through her study and unwavering faith, she developed a strong, powerful witness of the Savior.  She tried her utmost to be a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ!  She loves Him, trusts in Him, and now, she gets to live with Him!

LaRae is survived by her children Kevin (Becky Haws) Jackson, Brad (Joyce Stewart) Jackson, Kristie (David) Manwaring, Sherilyn (Martell) Bennion, and Sheldon (Suzette Cooper) Jackson, her brothers Sheldon Porter and Richard (Terrenia) Porter, along with 19 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.  Preceded in death by her parents, brother Paul Porter, sister Leora Dye, brother-in-law Neil Dye and sisters-in-law VeLoy Perkins Porter, Beth Rigby Porter, and granddaughter Paige Jackson.

In lieu of flowers "which just die and are a waste of money", LaRae desires that donations be made to the missionary work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The family sincerely thanks all of the staff at Spring Gardens and so many wonderful friends for their helpful concern and assistance, especially over the last many months.

Funeral services will be held Friday, June 16, 2023, at 11:00 am at the Mall Drive Chapel located at 259 North Mall Drive, St. George, Utah. A visitation prior to the service between 9:00 am to 10:30 am.

There will be a visitation held on Thursday, June 15 at the Mall Drive Chapel from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Interment will be at the Tonaquint Cemetery, 1777 So Dixie Drive, St. George, Utah 84770.

The funeral service can also be viewed virtually via Zoom at this link: https://zoom.us/j/94225543782 .