Obituary: Jill Okland Tuft

1949 ~ 2004

On June 22, 2004 Jill Okland Tuft had a joyous reunion with her sister and brothers as she returned to her Heavenly Father after battling breast cancer.

Jill, age 55, was born May 15, 1949 to Jack and Jeanne Okland in Salt Lake City, Utah. She attended Highland High School, the University of Utah, BYU Hawaii, and Brigham Young University where she graduated in Child Development and Family Relations. Jill married and was sealed to Thomas McRay Tuft in the Salt Lake Temple in 1971. Together they had three children and four grandchildren.

Jill was a gifted artist who had a talent for decorating and design. She kept an immaculate house and presented herself with class. Jill skied for the U of U's Ski Team and enjoyed golf and bowling. She also loved to knit, shop, read and have family gatherings in her home. She and her husband were world travelers and best friends.

As an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jill served in many capacities, including temple worker with her husband for over seven years. Jill's greatest joy came from being a mother and grandmother. She helped her children develop their talents. She taught them to follow the Savior and delighted in their temple marriages and missions. She was a generous grandmother who loved spending time with her grandchildren. Her kindness, thoughtfulness, loyalty, and observant nature made her a terrific friend to all and a wonderful companion to her husband. She will be deeply missed by all who loved her. She is sure to be an angel in the lives of her family, watching over them and helping prepare future posterity to come to earth. She fought cancer with hope, determination, and courage.

We love you, Jill.

Jill is survived by her husband, Thomas McRay Tuft; her children, Alisha Tuft Rose (Stephen), Ryan Tuft (Kari), and Jeffrey Tuft (Karen); her grandchildren, Zach Rose, Eden Rose, Nick Rose, and Jonah Tuft; her parents Jack and Jeanne Grant Okland; her siblings Randy Okland (Sandra), James Okland (Carolee), sister-in-law Pam Okland, and brother-in-law Scott Ellis; and her parents-in-law, Robert McRay Tuft and Jody Rehtmeyer Tuft. Jill is preceded in death by her sister, Joy Okland Ellis; her brothers Jeffrey Grant Okland and Jack Okland Jr.; and her grandparents, John and Martha Okland, and Clarence and Ruby Grant.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, June 28, 2004 at 12 p.m. at the Brighton 7th Ward, 2925 E. Bengal Blvd. (7800 So.). Friends may call Sunday evening from 6-8 p.m., at the Mountain View Memorial Estates Mortuary, 3115 E. 7800 So., and at the church on Monday morning from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. Interment: Wasatch Lawn Cemetery. Funeral Directors: Mountain View Memorial Estates.