(September 3, 1932 – March 17, 2014)

St. George, Utah – Ruth Shirleen Day Gappmayer, 81, passed away Monday, March 17, 2014.  She was born September 3, 1932 in Ephraim, Utah to Cecil Day and Luetta Peterson.  She married Louis Bartl Gappmayer on June 18, 1952 in the Salt Lake City Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years who passed on December 18, 2013.  The end of their brief separation is a welcome blessing.

Shirleen spent her childhood in Kenilworth, Utah and moved with her family to Provo, Utah when she was in the sixth grade.  She was a graduate of Brigham Young University High School in Provo, Utah.  Shirleen and Lou spent the first third of their married life in Fremont, California.  There Shirleen became a licensed foster mother and welcomed over 100 babies into her home and heart.  In 1971 they moved to Bozeman, Montana where they spent the second third of their married life and Shirleen became known for her organizational skills; served in several Relief Society Presidencies; and worked for many of these years as the office manager for medical practices in Bozeman.  Lou and Shirleen retired to St. George in 1995, four years after a devastating automobile accident left Shirleen with multiple injuries.  She was cared for by her loving and devoted husband for the past 22 years.

Shirleen is survived by her brother Hal Day of Orem, Utah and her sister Betty Day Hale of Johnson, Kansas.  Lou and Shirleen have four living children: Linda Gappmayer Reed of Bakersfield, CA; Mark Samuel Gappmayer of Peoria, IL; Paul Cecil Gappmayer of Bakersfield, CA; and Charles Roy Gappmayer of Bozeman, MT.  Her posterity also includes 15 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Funeral Services

• Funeral services will be held at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff Street, St. George, UT on Saturday, March 22, at 10 a.m.
• There will be a viewing at Spilsbury Mortuary on Saturday morning from 9:00-9:45.

The family wishes to express deep gratitude to the staff of Dixie Hospice and Seasons Health and Rehabilitation for outstanding care and kindness.

Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 435-673-2454. Friends and family are invited to sign Shirleen’s guestbook at www.spilsburymortuary.com.