Elsie Pollei

Elsie Norene
Barrus Pollei
1932 ~ 2013
On May 2, 2013 Elsie Norene Barrus Pollei passed away peacefully at home. Norene was an exceptionally talented woman who accomplished much good in her lifetime.
Norene was born July 18, 1932 to Owen Levern Barrus and Elsie Elizabeth Johnson. She grew up in Salmon, Idaho during the first years of the Great Depression. She had one brother, Jay Lee, who died when he was ten. Her father died when Norene was 14 and she became the head of the family.
After graduating from Salmon High School, Norene and her mother moved to Salt Lake City where she attended LDS Business College. In 1958, she served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Northern California Mission. On June 24, 1960 Norene married Paul Cannon Pollei in the Salt Lake Temple.
Norene was an incredibly talented seamstress who could sew anything. In 1978 she was hired as Lead Costumer for the Donny & Marie television series and she worked as a Costume Designer on countless television and film production sets including the original Footloose and Touched by an Angel. She worked in the BYU Costume Shop creating fantastic costumes for BYU's operatic and theatrical productions. Her creativity also blessed the lives of many through the innumerable quilts she put together for humanitarian aid.
Norene was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served it well throughout her life. She held many teaching callings and was the Gospel Doctrine teacher in her ward for several years. We remember how she prepared her lessons with enthusiasm and dedication. She was the ward Relief Society President and served in the Stake Relief Society Presidency. More recently, she was a worker at the Provo Temple.
Norene was preceded in death by her parents and sibling. She is survived by her husband, Paul, her children, Emilie and Mark (Jennifer), and her grandchildren Edward and Henry.
The family thanks Hospice for Utah for their tender care of Norene. We especially want to thank Jaclyn, Katie, Nicole and Lynn for their great patience and gentle kindness.
We love you, Mom. Everything you did was touched by grace and beauty. You were a hard, hard worker and now you get to rest. Thank you for being such a wonderful mother, dedicating your life to your children and your church. You were always generous with your time, talents and resources. And you were always the best-dressed woman in the room. We will miss your wit, your flower gardens, your love of cats, your creativity, your strength and indomitable spirit.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, May 9, 2013 at the Edgemont 21st Ward Chapel, 2900 North Timpview Drive, Provo. Friends may call at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, Wednesday from 6-8:00 p.m. and at the church Thursday from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Interment, Eastlawn Memorial Hills.
Condolences may be sent to the family at info@bergmortuary.com.