Barbara M Stephenson Hesterman

Barbara M Stephenson Hesterman, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away peacefully at the age of 101 on October 30, 2026 from natural causes.

Barbara was born on September 17, 1925 in McCornick, Utah, the sixth of nine children and first daughter of Bruce Stevens Stephenson and Harriet Christina Parry Mackelprang Stephenson.

Barbara moved to Holden, Utah with her family around 5 years of age where she spent the remainder of her youth. She was raised on a farm where she learned to work hard and to enjoy life. She often stated that she was ‘raised in poverty, which did not hurt me a bit. I’ve had a good life.’

She graduated from Millard High School in 1943 as the class valedictorian.

Barbara attended the Branch Agriculture College (BAC) in Cedar City, Utah right out of high school. She spent two years there and graduated with an associate’s degree.

After the BAC she moved to Salt Lake City where she was employed in secretarial work. She always wanted to serve a mission – taking that desire to heart she walked to the Church Office Building and asked about the process to be called on a mission.

Barabara received her call to serve in the Netherlands. She had excellent secretarial skills and her Mission President quickly assigned her to be the mission secretary. Most of her mission was spent serving in this capacity. William Bastiaan Hesterman was serving in the same mission. His lack of attention to submitting reports when needed and his habit of being late was enough to drive her crazy. She was at the dock on behalf of their Mission President on the day he was to depart - to her dismay, Bill arrived late and almost missed his boat home. She was glad to be rid of him.

Barbara had no intention of staying in a small farm town as an adult. Following her mission an opportunity presented itself to work in Washington DC. She quickly took it and moved east to work for Congressman Walter Granger. She did not let the fact that she was a Republican and he was a Democrat get in the way of her duties. She worked hard and had a lot of fun.

After Barbara returned to Utah, the irksome missionary, Elder Hesterman, began his pursuit of her and eventually won Barbara’s heart over and they were married on January 15, 1954 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Together they raised five children, three boys and two girls. Barbara loved being a mother. She took the time to teach her children the gospel, to work and to be good, kind, honest people. She instilled in all of them the value of prayer and devotion to faith. She advocated for them when needed. As one son used to say, she was ‘the best Mom a kid could ever have’.

Barbara was a woman of great faith and integrity. She was once written up in the newspaper for returning the change she found in a newspaper vending machine. She never wavered from her faith and devotion to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. She served in numerous church callings with Relief Society being her favorite.

She lived through the Great Depression, World War II, man stepping on the moon and the ups and downs of life, which included being pistol-whipped in a grocery store robbery. Through it all, her testimony of our Savior and His gospel were her rock and salvation.

Barbara is survived by her children, David (Becky) Hesterman, Mark (Ashley) Hesterman, Kristy (David) Moffat, and Lori Smith, her daughter-in-law, Jolene Hesterman and her sister Bonnie Larsen. She also leaves behind 18 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, six brothers, one sister, her husband, her son, William Stephenson Hesterman, and her son-in-law Blaine Russell Smith.

The family would like to thank Holladay Heathcare Center, Coventry Senior Living and Inspiration Hospice for their kind and professional care of our mother in the final years of her life.

A viewing for friends and family will be held on Friday, November 6, 10:30 am at 755 East Three Fountains Drive, Murray, UT. Her funeral service will follow at 12:00 pm. Livestream link forthcoming.