OBITS: The Spectrum 26 Jun 2005; St. George, Washington co., Utah

text-formatted by W. David Samuelsen for The USGenWeb Archives Project
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Source: St. George The Spectrum http://www.thespectrum.com

Vernal Hart Jensen

ST. GEORGE - Vernal Hart Jensen, 82, passed away on June 24, 2005 at the Red
Cliffs Rehabilitation Care Center. He was born in Sandy, Utah on August 28,
1922 to Joseph Jensen and Frances Knight Jensen.

At the age of 12, his family moved to Moore, Idaho where he farmed with his
father until 1950, when he moved with his family to Arco, Idaho. He served in
the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946 aboard the USS Enterprise. He married Betty
Lou Jones on February 11, 1944 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. To this union
were born five children, Dennis (Kaye), Byron (Terry), Wendy (Garth) Rust,
Merriann (Val) Morris, and Merrilyn, deceased. In 1950 he went to work as a
surveyor at the future Atomic Energy site. In 1952 he went to work for
Westinghouse, a subcontractor to the Atomic Energy commission which included
work on the first atomic powered submarine, the Nautilus. He worked for them
until his retirement in 1982. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints all his life and served in many capacities. His
favorite was serving as dance director with his wife, Betty, for 20 years.
They traveled many miles and spent countless hours in teaching the dances but
enjoyed it all. He served in two bishoprics, the high council, scouting and
was stake Sunday School President. He served as Bishop of the Arco Ward for
five years, and served as Gospel Doctrine teacher in St. George.

Vernal loved raising a big garden and having a beautiful yard each year. His
favorite past time was riding horses. Vernal had a good bass voice and sang in
church choirs and also sang with a male quartet from the Arco area for 20
years.

After retirement he and Betty spent winters in St. George and summers in Arco
until they moved to St. George permanently in 1997. He was preceded in death
by six brothers, and one daughter. He is survived by his wife, Betty, and four
children, 16 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and one sister.

Funeral services will be in Arco, Idaho on Wednesday, June 29 at 12:00 p.m. at
the Arco LDS Chapel. A viewing will be held Tuesday, June 28 from 6-8 p.m. at
the Simpson-Marvel Mortuary, Arco, Idaho and at 10:30 a.m. the morning of June
29 at the Arco Chapel. Condolences may be sent through the Metcalf Mortuary
website at www.metcalfmortuary.com.

Originally published June 26, 2005

George Woodgate

ST. GEORGE, Utah - George Woodgate passed away Friday, June 24, 2005, in St.
George, Utah. He was born on May 7, 1914, in Hove, Sussex, England, a son of
George and Alice Harman Woodgate. He married his beloved Irene Robina Collier
on March 7, 1936, in Brighton, Sussex, England, and their marriage was later
solemnized in the London Temple.

George was raised and educated in and around Hove and Brighton, where he met
and married Robina, and then they settled in Brighton. He enlisted in the
Royal Navy in 1939, and went to sea in 1940. George served on the H.M.S. AJAX
as a radar operator. He was one of the first to be trained on this brand new
invention. He also served on the H.M.S. Illustrious, an aircraft carrier in
the Indian Ocean. He finished the war on the Isle of Man as a Radar
Instructor, settled in Brighton and became a member of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1952.

George and Robina emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1962, and settled in Newport
News, Virginia. He worked as an engineer, salesman, and was also one of the
characters at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was the English
Beefeater.

In 1997, he and Robina moved to St. George, where he helped his son and
daughter- in-law cooking fish and chips at their shop. He loved everybody,
especially his wife and their two pets, Chum and Freckles.

Surviving family included his: wife, Irene Robina; sons, John (Eileen), of
Salt Lake City, UT, Robin (Dori), of St. George; son-in-law, Barry (Pat)
Thorne, of St. George; 9 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and sister,
Elsie Hicks, of England. He was preceded in death by his: parents; daughter,
Valerie Thorne; and two sisters, Winifred Bates and Alice Woodgate.

Memorial services will be held Monday, June 27, 2005, at 11:00 a.m. at the
Spilsbury Mortuary Chapel. Arrangements are made under the direction of
Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, UT, (435) 673-2454.

Friends and family are invited to offer their condolences at
www.spilsburymortuary.com. Click on the dove. Obituaries are also available at
our website. Click on the rose.

Originally published June 26, 2005