Marlene Hales Holley

Marlene was born February 26th, 1940, in Spanish Fork, Utah, to Duane Hales & Lillian Bradford Hales. Marlene was the second sibling of six children; Jon, Marlene, Edward, Joan, Clifford, and Larry. She was born and raised in the same home at 57 North 600 East.

As a young child, she spent many hours with her sweet Grandma Bradford and was heavily influenced by these lessons and experiences for the rest of her life. As a youth, Marlene loved to go camping and fishing up Nebo with her dad and work on the farm near the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon growing watermelon and cherries. Marlene attended Central Elementary, Junior High and Spanish Fork High School. Marlene was a cheerleader her senior year and worked at City Drug on Main Street for 65 cents an hour.

She first met Jim Holley while attending high school. She graduated high school in 1958 and attended Henagers Business College the following fall. She worked for Mountain Bell Telephone Co. before marrying Jim Holley in the Manti Temple in Sanpete County on June 25th 1959. They made their first home in a basement apartment on Center Street in American Fork, Utah, while Jim managed the newly acquired service station associated with his father's Buick dealership, Holley Auto. Jim served in the Army Reserves and was called to basic training and jump school in Georgia leaving Marlene alone for six weeks during this time. The following year, Jim and Marlene welcomed their first child, Diane.

They bought their first home, a small yellow brick bungalow, at 63 East 100 South in Alpine, Utah. There, they had four more children, Marilyn, Kathy, Bradford, and Jennie. Marlene suffered a miscarriage between the births of Marilyn and Kathy. In January of 1977, the family moved across town to a new home located at 173 West Fort Creek. There, they had two more children, Russell and Susan. Marlene loved the mountains around Alpine and finally made it all the way up to Lake Hardy in 1985. While in Alpine, she made numerous friends and served in many positions. She worked for a short period of time as both City Treasurer and City Recorder. She developed a love for card games and fishing at Strawberry Reservoir during these years, but raising a family that valued hard work and kindness towards others was always her top priority.

After nearly 40 years in Alpine, Jim and Marlene moved to a home at 360 South 100 West in Fountain Green, Utah in 1998. Jim and Marlene lived there until 2012, and with all her kids grown, it was in these years that Marlene truly focused on her study and understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From 2000 until 2020, Jim and Marlene would spend the cold winter months in the warm southern Arizona desert. She met numerous new friends, learned how to line dance and played even more card games at the Fortuna De Oro RV Park, just west of Yuma, Arizona.

In 2013, Jim and Marlene moved to Meadow Park Villas, a senior community in Lehi, Utah. This past June, Jim and Marlene celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Together they have 25 grandkids and 8 great-grandkids. Marlene was known as being a little bit hard-headed, but her kindness and compassion for others around her was unmatched. She loved burnt almond fudge ice cream and had an amazing ability to make friends with total strangers. Marlene authored a religious book in 2021, "Isaiah, A Feast For The Mind". Her favorite card games include Bridge, Pinochle, Hand and Foot, Texas Hold'em, and Cribbage.

Marlene is preceded in death by Duane, Lillian, Edward, Joan, and her grandchild, Scott.