Loretta May Pope

Loretta May Pope

March 21, 1938 – February 8, 2026

Loretta May Pope, passed away peacefully from heart failure with family by her side on Sunday, February 8, 2026. She was born in El Monte, California to Chester Samuel Young and Helen May Hawkins.

In Loretta's first marriage to Joe Teeples, they had three children: Debra, Dale and Roberta; after their divorce she later met the love of her life, James R. Pope, in 1973 and they married in 1975 where she gained three bonus children: Thomas, Richard (Lonette), and Susan (Dino).

She is preceded in death by James R. Pope (2010), Thomas (2025), and grandson Anthony (2026).

Loretta is survived by her sisters Louise T. Burt and Judy Campbell, her children Debra, Dale, Richard (Lonette), Roberta, and Susan (Dino); 10 Grandchildren: Robert (Shiloh), Jessie (Bobbie), Rachel, Michael, Philip, Jessica (Scott), Alicia (Patrick), Lauren (Nick), Ryan (Jeff), Austin (Caitlin); 15 Great Grandchildren: Lily, Atlas, Steven, Oakley, Logan, Hunter, Colin, Declan, Aidan, Killian, Ash, Roman, Erin, Kyle, and Thomas "TJ"; and many nieces and nephews.

Words from family members:

Debra: Mom loved her pets, grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She enjoyed her church callings which included being a temple worker for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Needles, California. She really loved working at the temple as it brought her joy and peace. She loved her hobbies that included genealogy, gardening, and yard work. When she met James, she became more alive than she had ever been. They enjoyed camping, boating, road trips, and being with family. She was a beautiful woman inside and out - her cheerfulness, joy, and well-being will be missed by many. I will miss Mom with all my heart, she was my best friend.

Richard: My father James was lost until he found Loretta. Mom made his life complete as they complemented each other. They enjoyed wrenching and restoring worn down boats and motorhomes. She loved to get together with family, especially boating on Lake Havasu where she taught the grandkids her love of fishing. They were married for 35 years until the death of my father. After his passing, Loretta moved back to Utah to be with her family. We will miss her greatly, but she will always be in our hearts.

Roberta: I was raised by my mother during the most difficult times in her life. Through her examples, she taught me the importance of kindness, patience, and love of people no matter what the color of their skin, gender, or beliefs. She also taught me life survival skills which helped me through years of my own difficult times. I admire her for the person she became during our 25+ years of estrangement from each other, which I am sorry I missed out on. As her caregiver during the last four months of her life, I had the pleasure of getting to know her better and am so grateful for having this time together even though it might have been strained at times due to her decline in health. I love you Mom and will miss you greatly.

Susan: What I loved most about Mom was her compassion, kindness, sense of humor and her devotion to my dad. I know it wasn't easy at times. I will never forget how she treated me like her own daughter even when I gave her an attitude in the beginning. I always felt loved and supported by her even as the years passed, and we were so far apart. I will always cherish our trips to the river and the time we all spent together as a family on Lake Havasu. She loved boating, fishing, the desert and all her various pets. One of these pets was a roadrunner family that she befriended and would feed raw hamburger balls. Spending time in Topock, Arizona after they retired, we found joy in something as simple as cooking breakfast together and sitting on the front porch or swimming in the pool. She had the ability to speak life into her grandchildren and family. I loved how she could put my dad in his place when he was being grumpy and turn the situation around. He was lucky and blessed to have her all those years. Rest in peace Mom, I love and miss you.

Robert's Family: Granny was a sweet and loving person. She was always ready with a hug and a smile. She loved animals and spoiled our dogs and cat with loves and treats. She was kind and welcoming of all people. She was always sharing her stories and was ready to laugh at our silly jokes. She was a wonderful granny. We love you Granny and will miss you very much.

Ryan: I loved how warm and welcoming granny always was. I also loved how much an animal lover that she was. I remember she used to have a lot of cats that lived under their house in Arizona, and she would feed them. She was a great listener and kind to everyone. Boating was her favorite activity when we were growing up with her and papa and some of our best memories together were in those years.

Many thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff at Ability Home Health & Hospice and Capitol Hill Assisted Living Center for their kindness and care given to Loretta over the last four months.

A Celebration of Life for Loretta will be held at the Premier Funeral Home, located at 67 East 8000 South, Midvale, Utah @ 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, 2026.