Sheila (Westover) Hanson

Sheila (Westover) Hanson, 86, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, in Provo, UT. She was born March 11, 1936, in American Falls, ID, to Ferrell Eugene and Ethel (Taggart) Westover, the first of eight children.
She married Garth A. Hanson on Nov. 28, 1958, in the Idaho Falls Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They had four children: Hal Hanson (Kari), Susan Wood (Scott), Jay Hanson (Cami) and Jill DeGraffenried (Matthew); 22 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren.
Sheila attended Aberdeen High School and Ricks College, where she received an associate’s degree. Sheila worked in many secretarial positions throughout her life. At the time of her retirement, she was an executive assistant to then-Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert.
Sheila loved music and performed in musical groups and operettas, led and sang in choirs, and taught and played the piano and organ. She loved to sing with her family, and made music an important part of family life. Sheila was active in and passionate about political and social movements. She lobbied and volunteered for causes she believed in at both the state and national levels.
After getting married, Sheila and Garth lived in Rexburg, ID; Pocatello, ID; Logan, UT; Providence, UT; Lincoln, NE; Springfield, VA; and Carbondale, IL; before settling in Provo, UT, which was their home base since 1982. They also lived in Jerusalem where Garth served as associate director of the BYU Jerusalem Center; Bucharest, Romania where they served as mission leaders for the Romania Bucharest mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and in Stockholm, Sweden and Frankfurt, Germany where they served as missionaries.
Sheila was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in many callings throughout her life, including early morning seminary teacher, Sunday School teacher, several leadership callings, and many music callings. She loved serving as an organist at the Provo MTC and in the Provo Temple.
Sheila made an impact and created life-long friends everywhere she lived. She loved the gospel of Jesus Christ and lived and taught it to her children and grandchildren.
A viewing was held Friday evening, July 29, from 6:30 to 8:30 at Nelson Family Mortuary in Provo, UT. An additional viewing was held at noon on Saturday, July 30, at the meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 3050 Mojave Ln, Provo, UT, followed by her funeral at 1:30. She was laid to rest next to her loving husband, Garth, who preceded her in death in 2018, at the East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery in Provo, UT.