Cleo Sullivan Wardle

St. George, Utah – Cleo Sullivan Wardle has "gone fishing." She passed away peacefully on June 24, 2025, at the age of 95. She passed away at her St. George home which was built on her grandfather's property named after him, St. James Place. Cleo was born in St. George, Utah on October 8, 1929. She was the seventh child in a family of nine children to Victor Sullivan and Clio McArthur Sullivan.
Cleo met the love of her life, Orvil Wardle, while he was working in St. George. He was the handsome boy from Springville, Utah she met at the malt shop. They were married in late December 1949 in St. George when Orvil was serving in the US Navy. Their marriage was later solemnized in the St. George, Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their early life together had them moving across the state and adjoining states for Orvil's work building roads.
Cleo lit up the room wherever she went. She lived a life filled with hard work, service, and a lot of fun. She graduated from Dixie High School and then from cosmetology school in Salt Lake City where she lived in the Beehive House while attending school. She was a talented hairdresser for over 60 years. She won many haircutting and hairstyling awards at conventions. She owned and operated Uptown Beauty Salon in St. George.
She served in the Sunday school and primary programs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She taught primary for over 40 years and loved it. She was known at church for her back scratches.
She loved bowling, fishing, dancing, crocheting, singing, horseshoe pitching, playing cards, and being with family.
Cleo loved the spirit of competition. She won the National Bowling Championship in Singles Bowling. She loved her many bowling team members over the years; they were like family to her. She looked forward to bowling competitions across the nation with them every year.
Cleo was a champion Horseshoe Pitcher, winning too many competitions to list. She was instrumental in getting the City of St. George Leisure Services to construct one of the top horseshoe facilities in the State. She was the driving force to get the City to host the World Horseshoe Tournament.
Cleo decided to enter the Huntsman World Senior Games when it first began in St. George. She was soon the assistant director, then director of the horseshoe events and helped organize the bowling competition. She received countless awards at the World Senior Games for participating and countless awards for her decades of volunteering to organize the events. She was inducted into the Huntsman World Senior Games Hall of Fame which was such an honor for her.
Cleo loved to travel. She was a member of Prime Time Performers Senior Ladies Dance Team and traveled with them to perform at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nadi, Fiji, Branson, Missouri, halftime shows at NBA games for the Orlando Magic in Florida, the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, and the World Senior Games.
She traveled to Thailand, Japan, S. Korea, Hawaii, Fiji, Alaska, Taiwan, Germany, and had visited every state in the union except for two.
Cleo was patriotic and always felt lucky to live in this great nation. She was adamant about getting everyone out to vote. She volunteered as a precinct chair and Election Worker for many years.
Cleo loved her "Pool Ladies" with whom she met with almost every morning to enjoy water aerobics at Glendenning's pool. She loved everything about them as they shared their life stories together through joy and hardships. One of her beloved Pool Ladies authored a book about the whole crew, which was recently released, "Bathrobe Pool Club - Tales from the Deep End," by Wendy Wilson Spooner. Cleo instructed her family members to sit next to her to read every chapter of the book to her because she refused to die before she was able to hear the whole book.
Cleo loved her family. She is survived by her three children: Keith Wardle (Yvonne) of Englewood Ohio, Ilene (Michael) Hacker of St. George, Utah and John Wardle of Las Vegas, Nevada. She dearly loved her grandchildren: Lee, Amy, Stacy, Kasi, Kenny, Mik'L, Steven, Maren, Jarvis, Satoshi, Torey, Morgan, Brock (deceased), Cody, Casey, Zachary, and Braxton. Cleo's great-grandchildren: Gage, Liam, Mason, Ian, Kaysie, Kaitlyn, Myler, Halen, Kaylor, Josiah, Ngaia, Sage, Hayden, Micah, Hallie, Luke, Brekelle, Liv, Bostyn, Avery, Jax and Weston.
She was preceded in death by her family, which included her mother and father Victor Sullivan and Clio McArthur Sullivan along with her siblings, Mary Hasfurther (Wilfrid), Edith Whitehead (Grant), Lela Cox (Everard), Deloris Seegmiller (Barnard), Alma Spendlove (Elwood), Victor Joseph Sullivan, Ralph Sullivan (Lois) and Robert Sullivan (Camelia). Also, preceded in death was her daughter in law, Corey Creel Wardle, and grandson, Brock Moore.
Cleo's family wants to thank Dixie Hospice and the family and friends who helped during the final days of her life. We are certain that she has tracked down her sisters, with fishing poles in the water and a deck of cards waiting on the table.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in the Metcalf Mortuary Chapel, 288 West St. George Blvd., St. George, Utah. A viewing will be held Wednesday, prior to services, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary. Interment will be in the St. George City Cemetery located at 650 East Tabernacle Street. Cleo Wardle Funeral Service Program
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