Gayle Romney Durrant

Gayle Romney Durrant, 80, of Pleasant Grove, Utah passed away at home while surrounded by her family in the early morning hours of November 26, 2022.

Gayle was born on February 16, 1942 in El Paso, TX to Dennison Emer Romney and Marguerite Anderson. She is the eldest of four children and spent her childhood years living in El Paso and Las Cruces, NM. After graduating from Las Cruces High School in 1960, she went on to study at BYU where she met Stewart Olani Durrant whom she then married in the Manti Utah Temple on July 26, 1962. After living in Provo, Seattle, and Las Cruces, they settled into a new home in American Fork, UT where they raised their seven children. While caring for her family, Gayle remained active in civic and church activities. She spent many years serving in the PTA, was a local and regional leader in the Utah Association of Women, and taught music in a local elementary school. She and Olani moved to Laie, Hawaii in 1994 where they remained until 2000. While there she served as the advisor to the Lambda Delta Sigma sorority and was known on the BYU-Hawaii campus as “Mom D”.

She has worshipped and served in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints her entire life. Those who knew Gayle know that she was a woman of unwavering faith. That faith led her to serve in all her callings with complete devotion. She particularly enjoyed callings that had to do with music and was a talented choir director with an in-depth knowledge of music and musical arrangements.

While in Hawaii, she was called to serve in the Laie Hawaii temple. When she returned to Utah she continued that service in the Mt. Timpanogos Utah temple. The final five years of her service was alongside Olani in the sealing office. She enjoyed this calling so much until her health prevented her from continuing to serve. During the last several years while she has been ill, all of her children have been inspired by the wonderful and tireless care that Olani has given her.

Gayle is survived by her husband and her children: Laura (Bud) Swensen, Lynita (Jared) Akenhead, Jeff (Marie), Jeannine (Brian) Allen, Dennis (Rachel), Andy (Samantha), and Meg (Joe) Field; 20 grandchildren and 17 great-grand children; sister Deanne Williams, and brother Lorenzo Romney. She is preceded in death by her parents, and brother Dennison Emer Romney II.

Services for Gayle will be held on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 1:00pm at the chapel located at 828 South Locust Avenue in Pleasant Grove, Utah. There will be a viewing prior to the service from 11:30am to 12:45pm. Interment will be at the American Fork Cemetery.

It would be Gayle’s wish that in lieu of flowers you would contribute to the Humanitarian Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can do that by going to:

https://donate.churchofjesuschrist.org

Please click on the link below to view Gayle's services via livestream:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84477807888?pwd=dXFma1h6U2lCeko5bkJXcWJEcVNvZz09