Beth Whitaker Evans

Beth Snow Andersen Whitaker Evans was born on January 25, 1922, in Emery, Utah, and passed away at the age of 102 on March 26, 2024, in Provo, Utah, surrounded by loved ones. Beth had the good fortune to be born to Arthur William Andersen and Lulu Stafford Snow Andersen. The shy little girl from Emery grew up to be a very determined person who displayed an outward confidence and a great love and interest in lightening the load of others.

Beth endured much as she lived through multiple wars, various economic fluctuations (both personal and global), raising six children, loving eight stepchildren, and burying two husbands (married for a total of 76 years), as well as the devastating loss of her mother when she was just five years old. Challenges continued as she adapted to life with a kind stepmother who eventually added six wonderful siblings to the already large family of nine children. Losing all those cherished loved ones was a source of great sadness to Beth.

She gracefully dealt with lifelong physical and mental health challenges, while maintaining her commitment to loving others and improving herself. Beth managed relentless back pain with Qigong meditation, yoga, weightlifting, and any alternative cure brought to her attention, thus benefiting many a practitioner of unproven modalities with her patronage. It was her practice to swill thick, nasty drinks packed with vitamins and greens each morning, but by afternoon she was ready for a Wendy's hamburger, a Diet Coke, and some chocolate.

From the time she was a striking young red haired school girl, Beth loved fashion, and as she aged, she happily accepted fashion advice from the younger generation. Right up to the end of her life, she created quite a stir with her stylish haircuts, shoes, jewelry, and clothing-think animal prints, lots of animal prints. She wowed her family each birthday and family reunion with at least 30 rapidly executed men's-style push-ups. This practice ceased around the age of 100 when she forgot she had such skills, and blessedly, no one reminded her.

It was a move to Los Angeles as a young adult, where Beth met the curly-haired Disney cartoonist, Scott Whitaker. Enchanted by his outsized personality, wit, and spirituality, the two were married on May 9, 1942, in the St. George Temple. Beth and Scott worked hard at raising a family until Scott passed away on June 4, 1976 at the age of 61.

Beth soon married Dr. Woodrow Evans, who had recently lost his wife, Ruth. Beth and Woody masterfully blended their large families-as a result, 49 grandchildren called her Grandma Beth and were the beneficiaries of her unconditional love as she treated them to endless tea parties, sleepovers, and foot rubs. The couple served a five-year mission at the Provo MTC down the street from their home in Provo's Oak Hills. Woodrow passed away on January 16, 2018 at age 97.

Beth started a home-based business, Lisa Originals, in the 1960s before women did such things. She scrapped and saved, purchasing real estate investment properties that secured her future. She followed the teachings of Jesus Christ and served faithfully in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in many capacities. She loved reading the scriptures and self-help books, weightlifting, was into fashion forwardness, technology admiration, positive thinking, and loving unconditionally. She was unfailingly kind to all fortunate enough to cross her path.

Beth is survived by her children: Wendy (Noel) Candland, Bonnie Whitaker, Thomas (Linda) Whitaker, Douglas (Valerie) Whitaker, Anne (Veryl) Law, and Lisa (John Davis), as well as Paul (Theone) Evans, Carol (Dave) Anderson, Raymond (Susan) Evans, Noel (Cheryl) Evans, and Tina (Kevin) Andrews and 204 and counting, devoted, grand, great, and great-great grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her husbands, Scott Whitaker and Woodrow Evans; stepchildren, JoEllen Evans Poulsen, Kurt Evans, and Grant Evans; grandsons, Thomas Carlos Whitaker, Ian Davis, and Andrew Poulsen; as well as siblings, Leona Andersen, Lyona Dansie, Ruth Laughlin, Esther Dickey, Gladys Stum, Mark Andersen, Martina Andersen, Kay Andersen, Valene Judd, LeArta Moulton, Lucienne Sillotti, Janyce Banks, Joy Catmull, Art Andersen, and Viann Stanger.

A special thanks to the staff at Courtyard at Jamestown and especially to her loving helpers, Rachel Yensen and Ally Hayter.

A small funeral will be held on Saturday, April 13th at 11:00 a.m. MST, with a viewing at 9:30 a.m. at Nelson's Family Mortuary 4780 N University Avenue, Provo, UT 84604. Interment to follow at the Midway City Cemetery.