Florence Mary Lyman

Mary Lyman

Bountiful/Escalante

On Wednesday, September 23, 2020, Florence Mary Coombs Lyman, loving wife and mother of four sons, passed away at the age of 83, concluding a 27-year struggle with cancer. Mary was born on February 21, 1937 in Boulder, Utah, to Ephraim and Florence Snow Coombs, the 11 of 14 children. She was raised in Boulder, gaining a healthy regard for work and play as a rancher’s daughter. She attended high school in nearby Escalante, where her courtship began with Richard "Dick" Lyman – and where in 1954 they were voted King and Queen of the Kriss Kringle Ball. After receiving her diploma in 1955, she extended her education completing an associate degree from Dixie College in St. George in 1957. She then began an early career in secretarial work at U & I Sugar in Salt Lake City; later she worked in a similar capacity for McDonnell Douglas in California.

On August 26, 1960, Mary and Dick were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Living in various locations in both Utah and southern California, they raised their four sons, ultimately settling in Bountiful, Utah. She was a dedicated wife and mother, anxiously concerned for her sons’ health, education, and personal character. A devoted homemaker, she took pride in the cleanliness of her home and was a generous hostess to family and friends when they needed a place to stay. She was known to always serve a balanced meal – her holiday breakfasts will never be forgotten. She enjoyed unique and beautiful curios which adorned the walls and shelves of her home, including a charming family of teddy bears that eventually had a bedroom to themselves.

A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mary gave of her time and talents to serve others. Her secretarial skill helped as she served as a secretary to a stake patriarch, transcribing audio records of blessings for the benefit of the blessed. She would also serve in the Relief Society presidency of both the Bountiful Barton Creek Ward and the Bountiful Central Stake. She supported each of her four sons on missions for the Church, and wrote them every week. And for many years she took time each week to perform extraction work in the records department of the Church, transcribing documents with inspired attention and care.

In later years Mary occupied her summers as proprietor of the Padre Motel in Escalante, Utah. Her rooms were often reviewed as the cleanest in town – she felt that if you were a guest at her motel, it was as though you were a guest in her home. Spending a vacation with Grandpa and Grandma at the motel has been a special memory for her many grandchildren.

Mary is lovingly remembered by her husband Dick Lyman; sons: Richard "Randy" (Rebecca) Lyman, Ephraim "Kendall" (Lisa) Lyman, Cray (Kari) Lyman, and Charles "Russ" Lyman; along with 13 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. She is also survived by five siblings: Sarah May Hansen Miller, Karen Cramer, Elaine Roundy, Anthony Coombs, and Vard Coombs. Mary was preceded in death by her mother, Florence Mary Snow Coombs; father, Ephraim Hyrum Coombs; and siblings Clinton Coombs, Kay Coombs, David Ross Coombs, Eva Whitaker, Theresa Coombs, Anne Spencer, Larry Coombs, and Robert Alonzo Coombs.

Funeral services will be held Friday, October 2, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. in the Escalante Ward Chapel. Friends may call Wednesday, September 30, 2020 from 6-8 p.m. in the Barton Creek Ward, 640 S 750 E, Bountiful, and Friday from 9:30 - 10:30 at the ward chapel in Escalante. Burial will be in the Escalante Cemetery. Live streaming of the services and online guestbook at https://www.maglebymortuary.com/obituaries/florencemary-lyman. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti.