Vauna Vee Gray Taylor Powers

Vauna Vee Gray Taylor Powers passed away on May 3, 2026, after a valiant life and battle with dementia. We sorrow for the loss of her strength and goodness but are grateful that she has left the frailty of mortality behind. Famous for her sense of humor and her endless optimism, she shone like the sun for 90 years, lighting the lives of everyone lucky enough to know her.

Born on December 16, 1935, to Dayle M. Gray and Norma Herrick Gray, Vauna was the oldest daughter and first child to survive infancy, having lost an older brother (Gary) to death shortly before her birth. Three more children soon joined the family: brother Larry Gray, sister Klea Ann Gray (Moon), and brother Dennis Gray. The four siblings played and laughed and squabbled through childhood; they remained devoted to each other throughout their lives.

Vauna was a proud Davis Dart, graduating as one of the valedictorians of her high school in 1954. The last video recording made of her shortly before her death showed her singing along to the DHS fight song. Many of her dearest, lifelong friends were her peers at Davis. In 1964, she joined a bridge group with several of these ladies and played bridge for the next 55 years. When she was younger, she could memorize and count all the cards, so it was rare for anybody who played with Vauna to beat her in a bridge game.

Her love of sports started in her youth and continued throughout her life: as a young girl she played basketball, baseball, and tennis. As an adult, she became an excellent bowler and champion golfer. She and her husband, N. Gregg Taylor, started golfing in 1964, a sport they enjoyed together for 30 years. She won three club championships in a row in her 50s at the Davis County Golf Course in Kaysville, Utah, shooting in the mid-70s. She was proud of her three holes in one and picked up and kissed her golf ball right in the middle of the fairway after the first one. She started walking in her early 40s, long before it was stylish to do so, and could be seen taking lengthy, nearly daily walks throughout Farmington and around Lagoon Lane.

She was one of the few women of her generation to complete a university degree. She started as a PE major, then switched to math, then finally chose elementary education. As a young girl, one of her favorite games to play had been “school,” where she would corral all the neighborhood kids and try to control them: she was always the teacher. She spent nearly three decades teaching grade school. For years, whenever she went anywhere in the state, she would inevitably run into former students who still remembered and loved their schoolteacher Mrs. Taylor.

She met the love of her life, N. Gregg Taylor, while both were attending Utah State University. After her first date, she wrote that she thought Gregg was a “little too wild” for her, but she quickly realized that she was wrong when she saw how kind and good looking he was. When Gregg called the next week to ask her out again, she said yes. As for Gregg, the minute he caught sight of the flaming red-haired beauty with a personality to match, he pursued her. They wrote letters to each other multiple times per week for over two years while Gregg completed his Navy training, and they married on August 8, 1958, in the Salt Lake Temple. Thus began one of the great love stories that sustained them throughout the rest of their lives together, including the challenging years after Gregg’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease at age 43. Vauna cared for him with compassion and resilience throughout his nearly 20-year illness, and they remained the most compatible of couples.

After Gregg’s untimely death in 1995, Vauna kept a list of all the acts of kindness that were shown to her by family and friends. When the list reached 80, she stopped counting. In the last several months of her life, despite her inability to speak coherently, she was still able to say “thank you” to the aides and nurses in the memory care unit at Legacy House of Farmington. They all loved her graciousness, and her final “certificate of reward” at Legacy was given for being the “most appreciative” resident.

Vauna married Jack Powers, Sr., in 2004 after being widowed for nearly a decade. They had many adventures, travelling and serving two missions and performing in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Jack was a talented craftsman and woodworker and completed numerous service restoration projects for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jack predeceased Vauna in 2023.

After her first stroke, Vauna moved into assisted living at Legacy House of Park Lane in 2018. She was adamant that she needed to live in an elder-care community with people of her same age group. She loved the activities, the food, the movie theater, and the friends. In 2022, she moved to the memory-care portion at Legacy. Her family wishes to thank all the aides, nurses, activity directors, and staff at Legacy. Special thanks go to the hospice nurses and workers who treated Vauna with such compassion and dignity, especially in her final months.

Vauna was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout her life. She served in many callings and presidencies. Nothing meant more to her than her firm belief in the atonement of Jesus Christ and her surety that she would be eternally reunited with her family. In her later years, she served in the Bountiful, Utah, temple and said it was her favorite calling. Until her cognitive faculties were destroyed by her illness, she read her scriptures daily.

Vauna is an eternally beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, teacher, and friend. Her gift of unconditional love will always stand as a testament to her innate goodness.

Vauna is survived by her four children: Laura (Jeff) Long, Carol (Paul) Morley, Michelle (Gordon) Whipple, and Matt (Suzi) Taylor; thirteen grandchildren: Leisha and Jared Long; Carson, Taylor, and Ashlyn Morley; Grayson, Thomas, and Kayla Whipple; and Spencer, Jake, Ellie, Sophie, and Kate Taylor; and five great grandchildren: Straiter and Saige Fackrell, and Laney Morley; and Kash and Gray Morley. She is also survived by her brother, Dennis Gray.

Funeral services will be held Saturday May 16, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the Farmington 3rd Ward, 272 N. Main Street, Farmington, Utah. Family and friends may visit Friday May 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Kaysville Mortuary, 400 N. Main St., Kaysville, Utah and Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church prior to the service.

Interment will be held at the Farmington City Cemetery.

The funeral service will be livestreamed and may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of Vauna’s obituary page at www.lindquistmortuary.com