Nancy Vilate White Strong

Nancy Vilate White Strong quietly left this life on the morning of August 7, 2023. She was born April 3, 1938, to David Virgil White and Etta Vilate Steele and raised in Salt Lake City with 3 brothers and two sisters, David, Donald, Robert, Carol and Teri. Mom spent many of her early years visiting and staying with family in Eureka and Mammoth. She cherished those memories and made annual visits to gravesites there every Memorial Day.

As a child Mom loved gymnastics and would often tell of the time, she had to do a back walk over on a bass drum for a performance, as an adult she taught her grandchildren to do one handed cartwheels. She also had a great love of reading and music, which she tried to pass on to her children with moderate success.

Mom attended Blaine Elementary School, Central Jr. High and Granite High School here she participated in Seminary, Choir Guild, Pep Club, Journalism club, and as a delegate to Girls State. She was also chosen to serve as class secretary for the 10^th grade. Mom was always involved in planning and hosting school events, dances and assemblies and loved anything social.

While attending the University of Utah she was introduced to Richard Strong by a mutual friend. After a blind date followed by three weeks of dating, they were engaged. They were married three months later at her parents’ home in Salt Lake City, eventually being sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. Despite being polar opposites, the marriage lasted until Richard passed away in 2018. Eight children were born to their marriage with one son Paul passing away shortly after birth. 

Early employment saw Mom babysitting many of the neighborhood children and later she worked for the Newspaper Agency Salt Lake Tribune. The majority of Mom’s career was spent working at Samuel Morgan Elementary where she started as a playground aid and later became the head secretary. Mom loved everything about Morgan, she loved the teachers, staff, parents and most especially the children who in turn loved Mrs. Strong.

After retiring from Morgan Elementary, she learned how to index genealogical records and reviewed hundreds of names. Mom loved to crochet and produced many doilies and blankets. She was a great seamstress and made all the window coverings in our home over the years, as well of most of our clothing as children and her famous rag dolls. She repaired more pairs of the boys’ Levi’s than imaginable but had great distress with the current trend of torn jeans and always offered to mend them.

Mom served faithfully in many callings as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but especially loved her time as Primary President and those she served with. Her sense of generosity and service was unmatched, and she set an example of love and service for her posterity to follow.

Despite health difficulties in the last few years of her life, she never lost her sense of humor, her ability to use four letter words and her gratitude for anything anyone ever did for her. She never failed to thank everyone for the smallest gesture of any kindness and always told everyone how beautiful or handsome they were, even complete strangers. Mom loved her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She spent many happy Fridays with the great grandchildren in the later years and was always up for an adventure.

Preceded in death by her parents David and Etta White and in-laws Harry and Josie Strong, siblings David, Donald and Robert White, son Paul William Strong, and husband Richard. Surviving children include Kathy (Neil) Paget, Scott Strong, Bryan (Susan) Strong, Jeffrey Strong, Susie (Lisa) Phillips, Dan (Melissa) Strong, Andrew (Whitney) Strong. Two sisters Carol Hadlock, Teri (Tony) Dietz and sister-in-law Jane Kimball along with many nieces and nephews and her cherished 18 grandchildren and soon to be 14 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Friday August 11, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Crestwood Ward Chapel, 1039 E. Crestwood Road, Kaysville, Utah. Friends may visit with family prior to services from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the church. Interment to follow at the Kaysville City Cemetery.

Services will be live streamed and may be viewed at www.lindquistmortuary.com by scrolling to the bottom of Nancy’s obituary page.

Our family would like to thank Applegate Hospice and especially Debbie Thaxton for their dedicated care to our mother in her final year as well as many kind friends and neighbors who always brightened her day.

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