Marlene Yardley

Marlene Yardley 
Spring City, Utah

    Beulah Marlene Threet Yardley, our beloved mother, aged 89 years old, passed peacefully into heaven on March 29, 2023, at her home in Sagewood at Daybreak, in South Jordan, where she lived the last year of her life.  Marlene, as she was always known, was born in Lovell, Wyoming on October 23, 1933 and spent most of her life in Utah, including Washington (near St. George), Salt Lake City, Manti and Spring City. 
    If we measure the impact of one’s life on the lives of others, Marlene Yardley had a tremendous influence on the lives of others. Her gift of being truly able to easily and unconditionally love anyone in her path made her a very special and beloved individual.    
    She is survived by eight of her nine children: Heman Threet Smith, Dammarion Valley, Utah; Lyn Smith Gregory, Savannah, GA; Dirk Threet Smith, Mexico; Danet Smith Palmer, Las Vegas, NV; K    eri Smith Maughan, Mesa, AZ; Tana Smith Pincock, Surprise, AZ; Renelle Smith, Spring City, UT; Keil Threet Smith, Celebration, FL.  A daughter, Deonne Smith, is deceased. Marlene is also survived by 38 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren. 
    As a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we will hold her Celebration of Life Memorial Service on Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. in the White Rock Chapel, 164 S Main Street in Spring City, UT 84662 where friends may call for visitation from 9 to 10 a.m. Burial will be in the Spring City Cemetery. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti. Online guestbook at www.maglebymortuary.com 
    A luncheon will follow at the church for family. We kindly request that you do not bring flowers, but you may make donations in her name to the Gary D. Young Foundation, if desired. 
    Marlene’s life was all about God, love, music, and service to others. Her life story, captured by her family in a book, is called A Life of Song and Prayer, an apt title for Marlene’s life.  
    She displayed her musical abilities early when she was cast as the lead in third grade in The Poor Little Rich Girl. Her school days were filled with music lessons, church solos and the lead roles in school theatre productions.  
    She was swept off her feet by a returned missionary, Melvin Thomas Smith, as a junior in high school. Despite a music scholarship at BYU, Marlene put God and marriage first. They were married on December 19, 1952 in the Idaho Falls Temple. They lived in Washington, DC and then, Boston, MA, while Melvin completed a tour of duty in the Navy, and where the first of their nine children were born.  
    They returned to Wyoming for Melvin to complete his college degree, while God blessed them with children, keeping Marlene busy. After her first three children, Marlene was delighted to have the twins she had always wanted, a boy and a girl. The family moved to Utah for Melvin to complete his PhD and Marlene had the opportunity for vocal coaching at BYU, performing solos in Church.  
    The family moved again, settling outside St. George, in Washington, Utah, where Melvin taught history at Dixie College. The family home, called The Covington Mansion, was their first home, and Marlene enjoyed restoring it to accommodate the now nine children in the household. Marlene became involved in both musical and theatrical productions at Dixie College, enjoying everything about the experience.  
    The family originally moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where Melvin became the Director of the Historical Society, but soon relocated their family to Mt. Pleasant, Utah to provide a more wholesome environment for raising a family, Melvin commuted from Salt Lake City on weekends, while Marlene - with a lot of help from their children- ran the family farm, with horses, sheep, pigs, cows and chickens. When they originally looked for places to buy in Sanpete, she fell in love with the little town of Spring City, but it would be decades later before that dream was realized.  
    As much as Marlene loved the farm, it was too hard to be separated as a family, and the family returned to SLC. Marlene took a job at De Conde’s Interior Design, relishing the extra income to furnish the home in Salt Lake City to her beautiful sense of taste and style.   
    However, the rift that had grown between Melvin and Marlene over their differing religious views ultimately led to divorce. Initially, Marlene pursued her love of music by taking classes at The University of Utah. Unfortunately, damage to her vocal chords prevented her from pursuing a musical career.  
    She worked for The Chamber of Commerce and helped them flourish by increasing membership rates by 400%. 
    Marlene always had dreams. One dream was to open a custard store, and she did just that. MMM…Marlene’s offered frozen custard in a variety of flavors and combinations created by Marlene. Although the business was successful, her landlord drastically increased the leasing rates, and she lost the business.  
    Marlene moved to Manti, living with her daughter, Renèlle, while looking for a job in the Bed and Breakfast industry. One of those was the Yardley Inn. She and Pauline Yardley served together as choir director, (Marlene) and pianist (Pauline) in their ward, as well as Marlene helping her at the B&B. When Pauline died suddenly, her husband, Gill, asked her to stay on and help run the B&B.  
    She and Gill fell in love and were married in the Manti Temple in October 1993. Owning her own B&B was one of her dreams. However, in her own words, she would tell to guests, she went “from the maid in the basement to mistress of the house!” She had also become a distributor for Young Living, and with its success, and Gill's engineering handyman know-how, they expanded and renovated The Yardley Inn into what ultimately became The Yardley Inn & Spa, a perfect combination of her interests and talents.  
    Together they offered candlelight dinners, moonlight carriage rides, massages, and even hosted a Romantic Mystery Weekend that she had written specifically as a unique offering at the Inn. They also hosted speakers on a wide range of topics. Marlene's inn became a popular destination for those who were sealed in the Manti Temple and stayed as honeymooners, often continuing to return for their anniversaries because of the love they felt from her.  
    She was truly in her element as an inn keeper. Guests often said that they felt the same divine spirit at the Inn as they did in the nearby Temple. Her unconditional love for her guests provided a refuge and healing haven not only for guests, but for all who came for whatever event they were hosting. 
    Unfortunately, her beloved Gill had a stroke and passed away on December 31, 2014. Without his help, Marlene chose to sell the inn, and in 2015 could finally realize another of her dreams: living in the quaint historic town of Spring City. She delighted in upgrading her new home, inside and out, making a lovely refuge for her winter season of life.  
    She endeared herself with the townspeople with her genuine love and fortitude, known far and wide for her friendliness, kindness and vitality. She took up riding a three-wheeled bike around town when she stopped being able to drive safely, an example of her vibrant personality.  
    In May 2022, she moved into independent living at Sagewood at Daybreak, in South Jordan, Utah, where she brought her gift of spreading kindness and love to all the residents and staff - officially as one of their "ambassadors", but always unofficially, as her true nature always radiated from her heart in every encounter with another person.  
    Her family and hundreds of friends will miss Marlene, an example of how a single life can affect the lives of so many others. We will always love and miss you, dearest Mother!