Lena Gertsch Morton

Lena Gertsch Morton, 96, died peacefully in the home of her daughter in West Jordan, Utah on May 2, 2008. She was born August 16th, 1911 in Midway, Utah. She was the fourth of eleven children of Elise and Conrad Gertsch. After graduating from Wasatch High School in 1929 she worked in Salt Lake City and attended L.D.S. Business College. She served in the Northern States Mission for the L.D.S Church from 1942-43. Upon her return home, she married Ermel J. Morton in the Salt Lake Temple on March 3, 1944. They moved to Provo, where Ermel taught at BYU and then to Rexburg, Idaho, where he taught at Ricks College. In 1951, Ermel and Lena were called on a mission to Tonga with Ermel serving as the principal of Liahona College and Lena as a teacher. During their years in Tonga they took into their home many of the teacher/missionaries who were also serving there. They served in Tonga for 6 years before returning to Ricks College. They moved to Bloomington, Indiana from 1959-61, while Ermel studied for his PhD. Here Lena was able to use her skills at budgeting to help the family survive. They returned to Rexburg and Lena spent many happy years taking care of her family and serving in various church callings, including Relief Society President, librarian, Primary and Relief Society Teacher. From 1969-76, Ermel was called to be the president of the new Language Training Mission in Rexburg, Idaho and Lena served beside him. After their release from that assignment and upon Ermel's retirement, Ermel and Lena were temple workers at the Idaho Falls Temple. From 1983-84 they served a mission in Seattle. Later they were called to work in the name extraction program. With Ermel's death in 1992, Lena remained alone in Rexburg until 2003, when she came to Salt Lake to live with her children. Lena was calm and steady. She will be remembered as a gentle, kind person who uncomplainingly helped accomplish whatever her loved ones needed help in doing. With her life she showed us hope and faith. Without her help and support, her husband and children could never have accomplished what they have. She will be missed, but her example and her character will have an influence that will be passed down for generations. She is survived by five children: Lorraine and Arden Ashton, Salt Lake City; Allan and Jaime Morton, Rexburg, Idaho; Marsha Morton, Salt Lake City; Richard and Janice Morton, Las Vegas, Nevada; and Annette and Brent Bracken, West Jordan. She is also survived, by 19 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren and by a sister-in-law, Leora Morton Gertsch Collins Ward, St. George, Utah. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 11:00am at the Canyon Rim Stake Center, 3051 South 2900 East. Friends may visit with the family Tuesday evening at the Holbrook Mortuary, 3251 South 2300 East, from 6:00 to 8:00pm and at the church Wednesday morning from 9:30 to 10:30am prior to services. Interment will be at the Evergreen Cemetery in Springville, UT at 3:00pm following services. Online condolences may be sent to the family at: www.holbrookmortuary.com If desired, donations can be made to the LDS Church Perpetual Education Fund or to BYU Idaho.