DAWNA ROSE GREER
1945-05-30 2014-02-17Dawna Rose (Burnham) Greer, 68, of Heber, living with family in St. George, Utah, died peacefully Jan. 17, 2014, from a courageous battle with brain cancer. She was born May 30, 1945, in Red Mesa, Colo., to the late Clinton and Rose Burnham. Her family later moved to Mesa, where she enjoyed being reared by her parents and growing up with her eight siblings.
After graduating from Mesa High School, she attended Northern Arizona University, where she obtained her nursing degree and met her husband, Frank Greer. Being perfect for each other, they were married in the Mesa LDS Temple for time and all eternity on April 16, 1965. After working as a nurse to put Frank through school, she wanted nothing more than to become a mother. She felt her primary responsibility in life was to love, teach and prepare her four children to be upright citizens and to have testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ. She was extremely proud of her children and especially loved the grandchildren they produced.
Dawna had many talents and blessed the lives of others by sharing them. She was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many callings which included; Relief Society president, young women’s adviser, Activity Committee chair, employment specialist and temple worker. She was a master seamstress, spending many hours sewing quilts for her children, grandchildren and neighbors, or sewing prom dresses for her daughters. One of her favorite ways to serve others was by making and giving away blankets for humanitarian aid. She spent countless hours doing genealogy and helped create an 800-page Burnham family history book. She enjoyed using her nursing skills by helping those who were sick, including those with terminal illnesses, assisting those who had medical questions and advising them as to treatment options. She worked tirelessly for the past several years to comfort and assist her husband, who also suffers from the deteriorating effects of cancer. She was a talented artist who painted portraits of her children, decorations on business windows and backdrops for school and church plays. She loved to write poems and had fun using this talent for family scavenger hunts and church activities.
The talent she was most known for was her green thumb; she had one of the most beautiful yards in Heber. She did not keep this talent to herself. She taught others about her gardening passion whenever she got the chance. She could be found helping neighbors beautify their yards, giving them plants and taking her prettiest flowers to church for everyone to enjoy. It gave her great satisfaction knowing that many people used her yard for wedding and family pictures.
Her many talents, compassion and unwavering testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ touched many lives. She will be missed tremendously by her family, friends and community.
She is survived by her husband, Frank Greer; children: Wendy (David) Skousen of Lakeside, Lance (Shannon) Greer of St. George, Utah, Kristal (Jason) Joy of Salt Lake City, Utah, Kandra (Jared) Owens of Las Vegas, Nev.; 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Clinton and Rose Burnham, sisters Miriam and Shirley, and son Dallin
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Heber LDS Chapel at 1858 Highway 260 in Heber. A viewing will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, and again at 12 p.m. prior to the commencement of the funeral services. She will be laid to rest at the Heber Cemetery immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, she would desire that such donations be made to the Encore Thrift Emporium in Heber to help the performing arts programs of the Heber-Overgaard Unified School District.
Condolences can be sent to www.greersmortuary.com.
Greer’s Mortuary of Winslow handled arrangements.