Renate Huebner

On Saturday morning, May 16, 2015, heaven gained the sweetest angel and earth lost the greatest mother, wife, Oma, friend and superdiva, while waiting for a lung transplant.

Renate Griese Huebner was born on January 21, 1948 in Itzahoe, Germany to Karl-Heinz Griese and Mariechen Holst. She married Otto Gephart Huebner on November 22, 1968 and they were later sealed in the Bern, Switzerland temple.

Renate had ten kids over 16 years while living in Germany. In 1988, she made the most selfless decision a person could ever make. She and her husband decided to leave behind their homeland, family, friends and only life they knew to immigrate to the United States and give her children more opportunities for their future.

On October 4, 1988 our family, 9 of 10 children, stepped off the plane in Salt Lake City, Utah with nothing but the clothes on our backs and some German chocolate! Over the next few years she taught herself to speak English by watching Sesame Street with her children, and probably on her own. It didn’t take long for her home to become a Safe Haven. Neighborhood kids, strangers, and all who came in contact with her never had to question whether they were loved, welcome, and NEVER had to worry about leaving hungry. Mom was the best cook and her “candy drawer” was infamous.

After her children were grown, mom found her second family and indulged herself in the love she found working on West 8 at LDS Hospital. The tradition of potluck Sundays will never be the same without her famous Ambien creations.

As her children, we thought her love for us was unmatched until her grandkids came along; then she stopped giving us candy! All that love and candy giving poured out to her 37 ½ grandkids. This trampoline jumping, swinging and hot tubbing “Oma” was not afraid to get down and dirty. Letting her hair down in order to make her grandkids laugh and feel like one of a kind was one of her many qualities.

After being healthy all her life, she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in August of 2012, which didn’t affect her passion for life but, sadly, limited her ability to travel. She loved to see the world with her partner in crime, Christel Reames, who we’re sure welcomed her on the other side with suitcase in hand!

Mom’s testimony and faith of Jesus Christ and her devotion to the LDS faith were unwaivering. This was evident because the night before she died, one of her last concerns was that her tithing was paid in full. While she made her home a safe haven for others, her safe haven was the temple of the Lord.

She is survived by her husband, Otto Huebner, and her ten children: Andrea Ziegner, Angela (Cameron) Tingey, Alexis Huebner, David (Gabi) Huebner, Nadine (Rodney) Washburn, Jennifer (Steve) Savage, Ben (Candace) Huebner Vanessa (Adam) Boyer, Sarah (Nate) Moon, Carri (Bret) Crowther, and her 38 grandkids and 4 great-grandkids. She is preceded in death by her mother Mariechen, Father Karl-Heinz, brother Volker, and sister. She is survived by the Huebner family and her brother Wolfgang (Regina) Griese, who love her dearly.

We want to thank all the nurses and staff at LDS Hospital that fought for our mom and made her feel wanted as a patient. We’d like to especially thank Dr. Pearl and Dr. Scholand who went out of their way day in and day out to do all they could for our sweet mom. Deborah and Nate spent countless hours with our mother on and off the clock, making sure her passing was as peaceful as possible. You guys are considered family! If, after reading this, you’re not already a donor, please consider registering to be one. If not, consider yourself warned because while sweet, our stubborn German mother will haunt you into persuasion.

Rest now, Mama. Breathe deep the sweet air of paradise. You will be missed by countless people every second of every day. Bis aufs Wiedersehen. Wir haben Dich lieb.

Funeral services will be held at 12 noon on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at the LDS Layton Valley View Stake Center, 1589 E. Gentile. Friends may visit with family on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N. Fairfield Rd. and on Wednesday from 10:30 to 11:30 at the church. Interment, Lindquist’s Memorial Park at Layton.

In lieu of flowers, please bring GERMAN chocolate or candy to keep alive the legacy of her candy drawer and sustain her grandchildren through this difficult time . . . if her children decide to share.