Maren Mathilda Mouritsen

Maren Mathilda Mouritsen

1939 ~ 2024

Maren Mathilda Mouritsen passed away in her own bed surrounded by people who love her dearly on Saturday Dec 7, 2024. Arriving much earlier than anticipated, Maren was born in her family home in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 6, 1939, to Willard Mouritsen and Johanna Louise Anderson. Family lore has it that Maren, a premature 5-pounder, was wrapped in a cloth, placed in a bread pan, and put in the family oven in order to keep her warm.

Maren had an amazing big sister, Joan, 8 ½ yrs her senior. When her father showed Maren to Joan, Joan said, “That’s a baby—I wanted a sister!” Following that rather inauspicious beginning, they became fast friends, with Joan always insisting that if Maren couldn’t come, she wouldn’t come either. According to Maren, she had a fantastic youth riding horses on the family ranch with her dad and coming home to freshly made meals prepared by her mother and grandmother. Maren graduated from high school in 1957. The following summer, her family moved to Salt Lake City, but Maren left in September to pursue an undergraduate education.

In 1961, she graduated cum laude from Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. She attended Northwestern on a full academic scholarship and while there, was elected president of the Associated Women Students, sat on the University Disciplinary Committee by appointment of the president of the university, was named one of eight University Guild Scholars in her senior year, and was elected to Mortar Board. During her years at Northwestern, she also worked at the Chicago Institute of Art. She had always loved drawing and artistic ventures, but this part-time job kicked off her journey in the art world when one of the teachers at the institute saw Maren’s dabblings and encouraged her to start taking classes. She did, and while attending the Institute, she was awarded the McCormack Prize for painting, and had paintings selected for exhibition at the Brussels World’s Fair and the United States Cultural Exchange Program. The McCormack prize also provided her an opportunity to do portraits of several famous figures, including Helen Keller.

While in Chicago, Maren also had another part time job working late nights doing minor animation tasks for a company that subcontracted with Disney. From this, she met Walt late one night when he came to pick up some work from the business. He left his card and said, “Look me up if you ever get to Los Angeles,” which she subsequently did when she went to LA to work after her graduation. Maren worked and lived in the Los Angeles area for about a year, working as a freelance artist for Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures.

It was at this time that she decided to serve a mission and was called to the Northern Far East Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When she first read the call, she assumed that it was to Maine and the northeastern states, only to discover that the assignment was to Japan. According to Maren, she loved every minute of her mission, except when the elders helped themselves to a six-pack of rootbeer that had been shipped to her at great cost by her father.

During her three years in Japan, she was fortunate to be able to attend classes at Tokyo University, where she took language and calligraphy courses. She stayed in the field longer than usual in order to establish the first visiting teaching program for the sisters, and while doing so, travelled the width and breadth of the beautiful Japanese islands.

As part of her mission in Japan, she made the acquaintance of a talented Japanese sister, a pianist named Yoshie Akimoto. As Yoshie had always desired to study at the Juilliard School in New York City, Maren contacted them to see if they would be interested in supporting her Japanese sister in this venture. They were interested, so Yoshie auditioned and was accepted. Upon release from the mission in 1965, Maren’s parents met her and Yoshie in Hawaii, and the two friends were on their way to New York by the end of that summer.

Maren’s first year in New York was spent in a variety of activities—translating for the United Nations, working for Sumitomo Shoji, Inc., a Japanese import/export firm, as well as serving in the stake Young Women’s program. Maren was later called as the stake YWMIA president and served in various roles for almost ten years in the program. After a year of working, Maren felt a strong desire to return to school, and in 1966 entered Columbia University in New York City, where she initially studied Japanese and Chinese in the East Asian Institute of the School of International Affairs. In order to finance continued educational activities, Maren began working at Teachers College, which is the Graduate School of Education for Columbia University. She was made the Coordinator of Student Activities there in 1968 and began a second master’s degree in student personnel administration.

While in New York she came to know Belle S. Spafford, then General President of the Relief Society, and Florence S. Jacobsen, General President of the Mutual Improvement Association, and through them, became involved in the National Council of Women. In 1976, she chaired that organization’s annual conference on the Family and the Child, which was held at Columbia University. It was while in New York that she also served as a staff person on the governor’s task force on youth drug abuse.

Maren was a steadfast pioneer of Women’s rights and trailblazed many paths that we take for granted today. She was also always very intentional in her actions in every arena of her world. An example of both of these is that she refused to learn how to type. When asked why not, she said she did it on purpose because she refused to be relegated to only “women’s work” and not be considered for the projects she was actually interested in. Not knowing how to type made it so she couldn’t be pigeonholed as a secretary.

During her time at Columbia, Maren discovered that she loved and enjoyed working with young people, and thus decided to become a teacher and educator, even though she was trained as an artist. She eventually completed a professional diploma in higher education and finally, in 1979, a doctorate in University Administration and Counseling. During this period, she was promoted to the position of Director of Student Life (1972) and served in this capacity until coming west in 1978. She loved her years in New York, but she’d been separated from her family, especially her dad, for 15 years and was ready to be closer.

In 1979, at the invitation of Dallin H. Oaks, then president of BYU, Maren accepted a position as Assistant Dean of Students at Brigham Young University. She was made the Associate Dean about nine months later. This position was a great joy as it allowed for a happy blend of teaching, administration, and counseling. She also held the rank of associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and served on the board of directors for several businesses as well as professional associations. Although writing was not her favorite activity, she wrote articles and edited three books.

Her supreme joy while at the university, was working with the students in the student government association. When President Oaks left the university and Jeffrey R. Holland became president, President Holland hired Maren as his administrative assistant. She enjoyed this position because it permitted her to work in the major she had chosen for her doctorate. Of course, she also loved meeting with President Holland and assisting in his presidency. When President Holland was called to serve in the First Quorum of the 70 in 1989, Maren became the Dean of Students at BYU and held that position for 10 years. Maren ended her career at BYU teaching full time as a professor in the department of religion from 1999 to 2001. This permitted her to teach about the book she loved most, the Book of Mormon. After she retired in 2001, she was made professor emeritus. When reflecting upon her career at BYU, especially her role as dean, she often said she didn’t understand why they paid her to do that job because it was so joyful, but conversely, that sometimes they couldn’t pay her enough because it was so challenging.

Maren cherished nature and chose to be in it every chance she got. In 1985, she built a cabin in Causey Estates to be near her beloved wildlife. It was a joy for her to improve and beautify it. She was always in the middle of a project of some kind and thoroughly enjoyed working on and riding the various ATVs, wave runners, and snowmobiles. She viewed the cabin as an anchor point where those she loved could come for sanctuary.

Also during this time, Maren served on the General board of the Young Women under the direction of Ardeth G. Kapp from 1984 to 1992 and was critical in laying the foundation for the young women values. Maren’s favorite value was integrity, and she personally chose the color purple for it. She said she chose purple because it was a mixed color, and integrity touches all the other values. This was an important part of her life that brought her joy and fulfillment. Though the Board often met till the wee hours of the night, she always came home energized and bubbling with excitement. She could not believe her good fortune to have such a wonderful calling serving the youth of the church. She traveled frequently during this calling and especially loved getting to go back to Japan and conduct leadership trainings.

Following her release from the General Board, Maren was called to teach gospel doctrine classes to the men at the Utah State Correctional Facility. She loved teaching them, and in turn, they loved her.

The year after she retired from BYU, Maren made a large addition to the home that she and Tammie Quick had shared for many years. It was a project she truly relished. The addition permitted them both to stay in their beloved Highland home for the rest of her life.

In 2002 she worked full time for the Salt Lake Olympics assisting and preparing for the opening and closing ceremonies. This was a grand adventure, one she had not anticipated and it fed her love of projects and circled back to her training at Northwestern in speech and drama. Maren was a lover of the arts and served on the board of the Hale Center Theatre Orem. She was so looking forward to the opening of their new theatre, a goal she had shared with the Hale Family Leadership for many years.

After the Olympics, Maren had some great retirement years doing things she enjoyed with friends and family, always having time for the one, no matter what time it was. Maren was the matriarch and everyone she met was adopted into her family. She spent many hours each day on the phone connecting with people, and there were many times when someone would call or just show up to visit late at night, and she never turned them away. She made every person she talked with feel valued and loved, focusing on them with her twinkling blue eyes and letting them know they were important and special.

Maren’s favorite job at the end of her life was being everyone’s favorite Aunt and finally having time to spend with her nieces, nephews, and beloved friends. She loved her family so much and made every effort to attend any event, celebration, or milestone she was invited to. At the end of the day, she just wanted to be with the people she loved.

Without question, Maren lived her life with intention and devotion.

Maren is survived by her beloved friend; Tamara M. Quick, nephews; Steven Savage and John Savage, nieces; Lisa Gundy, Holly Peterson, Taralyn Sorenson, also 15 grand nieces & nephews, and 22 great grand nieces & nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Joan, her beloved Aunt Leah, and too many cherished family and friends. She is also preceded by her eight “puppies,” Duchess, Princess, Lady, Scooter, Landie, Missy, Tillie, and Jestie. Cassie is lost without her, as are we all. We love you Aunt Maren! And we know Maren’s reply: “I love you more!”

Funeral services for Maren will be held Monday, December 16, 2024 at 12:00 pm at the Highland Stake Center Chapel, located at 5335 West 11200 North, Highland, Utah. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Sunday evening from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Highland Stake Center Chapel and also at an additional viewing on Monday morning from 10:30-11:30 am prior to services at the church. In lieu of flowers, Maren would love donations to be made to the Hale Center Foundation for the Arts and Education in Orem, Utah.

For those unable to attend, funeral services will be streamed at: https://zoom.us/j/94810686256