Sandra Lee Oliphant

May 29, 1946 - March 16, 2026

Sandra Lee (Bowen) Oliphant, known to many of her family and friends as Sandy, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in Taylorsville, Utah on Monday, March 16, 2026 at age 79. She will always be remembered for valuing her family and faith first and leaves a legacy of service to those around her.

Born on May 29, 1946 in Phoenix, Arizona, Sandy was the daughter of James Gabriel Bowen and Regina Clyde (Bass) Cahill. She had a warm and happy early childhood despite her parents divorcing while she was young. Soon after, her mother remarried and a sister, Linda, joined the family in 1952. That marriage quickly came to an end as did 2 more marriages during Sandy’s school years. This was a difficult period during her life, marked by multiple moves as her mother worked hard to provide for her children and Sandy was left to take on much of the babysitting, housework and cooking responsibilities from a young age.

In the fall of her first year of college at Arizona State University, where she was studying Industrial Engineering, Sandy met the love of her life. It only took a few dates before Sandy realized, “This is the person I am going to marry.” However, it took two more years of dating and Jim enlisting in the Army to avoid the draft, before an engagement became a reality in the Christmas of 1966. They were married in Clarksdale Mississippi on August 12, 1967. Sandy was just one course short of earning her B.S. degree from ASU, when following his Vietnam deployment, Jim was stationed back at Fort Sill Oklahoma where their first 2 children were born. This happy time in their life focused on auto racing and Sandy was first introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While stationed in Germany, Sandy and Jim both joined the Church, and one year later, were sealed for all time and eternity in the Mesa Arizona Temple on December 10, 1975. Five more children eventually joined the family and were Sandy’s life work.

Over the years, Sandy was a dedicated La Leche League Leader, piano teacher, 4-H leader and became a certified Montessori Instructor, opening her own Montessori preschool. Sandy was a teacher at heart and loved working with and teaching young students. She kept a variety of pets over the years that continued to hold a special place in her heart including monkeys, chickens, cats, and dogs. She was incredibly gifted with words and writing, and enjoyed playing Boggle and Scrabble where she was often the winner.

Through it all, Sandy’s focus in life was her children and she was the heart of the home. She worked hard to develop and grow the skills necessary for her to provide the stable, nurturing home for her children that she had lacked growing up. She spent many hours supporting her children's growth through violin and piano lessons, numerous horse activities (although she refused to get on a horse herself), and fostering a love of learning in her children. Some of her most cherished memories came from the family reunions she strived to hold biennially, where she could surround herself with her children and grandchildren. Her greatest desire was to help her children develop strong testimonies and develop a close personal relationship with their Savior.

Sandy continued to grow in the gospel until it just became a part of who she was. She truly tried to emulate the Savior, always ready to reach out and lift those around her. She served in many positions throughout her years as an active member of the Church. Working with the young single adults in Roseburg Oregon and serving for 2 years in the Eugene Oregon Mission Office were especially meaningful to her. One of her greatest sorrows in her later years was that her bodily infirmities prevented her from offering the service her heart desired.

Her family’s mission continues to be “to support, love, and encourage each other to become all that we can be as we work together to build ‘a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God’... and strive to have hearts knit together in unity and love as we serve each other and our fellow beings’”. These weren’t just words on a page, but she strived to embed these principles in all her interactions with her family.

Sandy is survived by her husband of 58 years, James (Jim) Romig Oliphant Sr., her children Christine Bullinger (Chris) of Burlington WY, Sara Kirby (Patrick) of Payson UT, Emily Oliphant Manville of Carlsbad CA, Stephen Oliphant (Holly) of Buford GA, Charlotte Huyett (Seth) of Allyn WA, Mary Marez (Michael) of Laveen AZ, daughter-in-law Jeanie Oliphant (Jim Jr.) of Garden Ridge TX, 22 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and her sister Linda Faye Zeitman of Roseburg OR. Sandy was preceded in death by her parents and her son James (Jimmy) Romig Oliphant Jr., and grandson James (J.R.) Romig Oliphant III.

Memorials may be sent to the Humanitarian Aid Fund for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. https://donate.churchofjesuschrist.org

The memorial service will be on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 12:00 pm at the LDS Chapel 6030 South Prairie View Drive, Taylorsville UT. Internment will follow at Memorial Redwood Cemetery 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan UT.

Memories and Condolences can be shared at https://www.memorialutah.com/obituaries