Marlene Call Bennett
Marlene Call Bennett
1932 – 2022
Marlene Call Bennett was born on October 30, 1932 to Reuben Anson Call and Luella Ford Call. She was warmly welcomed by them and by her older sister, Beverly. She grew up in Bountiful, Utah and lived in her great-grandmother Emma Summers’ home. Growing up in this beloved home surrounded by family gave her a great love for family history and the stories of her pioneer ancestors, which she retained throughout her life.
Marlene grew up working on the family farm from the age of 8. Here, she learned to work hard, to support her family and community, and about the law of the harvest. These lessons would serve her well throughout her life, as after her graduation from “Dear Old Davis High School” and year at Utah State University, she met and fell in love with farmer Sherman Bennett.
Sherm was from Alpine, so their courtship was a long-distance labor of love. Because there was no interstate at the time, it took one and a half hours each way for them to see each other. After three months of this back-and-forth, Sherm proposed and they were married in the Salt Lake Temple on November 14, 1951.
Marlene left her beloved Bountiful to settle in Alpine, where she would live at the feet of the beautiful mountains for the rest of her life. Here they raised 5 children, built a home, purchased ground and farmed it for nearly 70 years. She and Sherm were equals in every way in working the farm and raising their family. She loved supporting her boys in sports and her daughters in their endeavors. She and Sherm taught their family to love God and hard work, in that order.
Marlene served faithfully in many church callings for her whole life and particularly loved her time in the Young Women and Relief Society organizations. She was also proud of her pioneer heritage and active in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She collected records for both her ancestors and her descendants and delighted in remember each family member’s birthday.
Marlene excelled as a grandma and great-grandma— she was affectionately known as “Grandma Gummi-Bear” by the great grandchildren because she always had huge bags of gummi-bears in her pantry and would send each child home with a bag— even lovingly cut in half for the littlest ones. She loved to bake for her family and always had a freezer full of her delicious rolls, cookies, and homemade bread to share with anyone who visited.
She was lonely after Sherm passed away in 2017, but she continued to dedicate her time to serving her family and studying the gospel. We know that Sherm was anxiously waiting her arrival when she left this life to join him on December 17, 2022. We know that she had the most joyous reunion with him, her parents and her sisters who passed away before her. We are happy that they get to be reunited with her, even if we are a little jealous!
Marlene is survived by her brothers Melvin, Harold, and Marlow, as well as her children Douglas (Marsha), Roger (Rachel), Jeff (Lori), Janine Smith (Art), and Karla Weisenburger (Mark), as well as 18 grandchildren and 62great- grandchildren.
Funeral services for Marlene will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 11:00 am in the Mountainville 2nd Ward Chapel, located at 165 North 100 East, Alpine, Utah. Family and friends may attend a viewing Tuesday evening from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Warenski Funeral Home, 1776 North 900 East, American Fork, Utah and also at an additional viewing on Wednesday morning from 9:30-10:30 am prior to services at the Mountainville 2nd Ward Chapel. Interment will be in the Alpine City Cemetery. The services will be available to watch online at https://zoom.us/j/4252526745?pwd=bEcvZjlvL1poRGhOQkc1ZVB6dEhIdz09