Fern Fairbourn

Fern Flake Fairbourn

At the age of 99, Fern Flake Fairbourn departed this life in the early morning hours of 30 December 2019 in South Jordan, Utah.  Fern was born in Snowflake, Arizona on 7 September 1920 to James Madison and Martha Amelia Smith Flake.  She was the youngest of their 24 children and the last of the family to be called home.  She married Merle Leslie Fairbourn on 16 March 1943 in the Mesa Arizona Temple.  Together they made homes in Utah, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming and then back to Utah before Merle’s passing in June 2002.  Fern loved to serve and throughout her life served in many teaching and leadership callings.   She particularly loved her opportunity to serve at the Jordan River Temple.  She served as a missionary in the Texas Louisiana States Mission, where she met Merle.  Later they would serve 2 more missions in Kentucky Louisville and California San Bernardino, helping to inspire her posterity to also serve missions, 48 and counting.
Their children are William Flake-deceased (Ann), Elberta, UT; Karmen (John Murphy), Mendocino, CA; LaDawn (Christopher Tice), Pocatello, ID; Lynn (Brett Blethen), Boise, ID; Rhonda-deceased (David Isaksen), Taylorsville, UT; Loraine (Jeffrey Urry), Cheyenne, WY; James Leslie, Provo, UT; John Edward, McCammon, ID and Richard Bryan (Sherril), Taylorsville, UT.  Their posterity includes 48 grandchildren, 108 great grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren.  In addition to her husband and two of their children, Fern was also preceded in death by three grandsons—Jordan Fairbourn, Chad Isaksen and Seth Isaksen.
Funeral services will be held Saturday January 4th, 11am at  1570 West 11400 South, South Jordan, Utah. A viewing will be held Friday 6PM to 8PM and Saturday 9:30AM to 10:30AM at the same location.