Jan. 10, 1938-June 21, 2024
Janet La Rae Seegmiller, 86, left this world on Friday, June 21, 2024, to join her husband and loved ones who have passed on before her. She leaves her children Susan (Mike) Campbell, Joe (Sherrie) Gubler, Boyd (Vickie) Gubler, Paul (Anne) Gubler, Katrina (Mike) Swanson, Julie Gubler, Wendi (Adam) Austad and Lynn Bedonie, 38 grandchildren, 83 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren (with another on the way).
Family and the Gospel of Jesus Christ were everything to Janet. She was generous, thoughtful, compassionate, faithful, loving and a goodly parent. Her great example has blessed the lives of so many. Most importantly, the lives of her posterity have been forever blessed by her faith and diligence in living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She never claimed to be perfect, but she kept on trying and kept the faith — day in and day out.
Janet entered into this world on Jan. 10, 1938. She was born to Paul C. and Edith Seegmiller in St. George, Utah, and was the seventh of nine children: Fayone, Paul, Foy, Tana, Clothele, VanDyne, Janet, Diane and Linda Gail.
Janet grew up in St. George, Utah. She went to elementary and middle school there. Her family moved to Henderson, and she attended the local high school for a short time. When she lived in St. George, she enjoyed dances held on top of a nearby water tower and always knew she was loved by her wonderful parents.
She met Edward Wilson Gubler when she was 15. His Grandma Wilson was so impressed with Janet that she told Dad, “You better not let that girl get away.” And he didn’t. Janet and Edward were married and sealed in the St. George Temple on May 22, 1954. Their first child Susan was born in St. George and they moved to Henderson, Nevada, before she was a year old. Life was never boring there. Janet’s sons regularly brought home lizards and snakes. Janet and Edward made lifelong friends in Henderson as they raised their family and brought others to Jesus Christ by sharing the gospel with them. They lived in Henderson for 18 years.
Janet and Edward moved back to La Verkin, Utah, in 1973 to continue raising their children. Janet’s love for our Savior, Jesus Christ, led her to blessing the lives of everyone around her. She helped so many people physically and spiritually. Before ministering was a thing, Janet served and ministered to all of her neighbors by sharing plates of dinner with them on Sundays and baking bread to share. The produce from their garden was often delivered to neighbors. One elderly couple, the Iversons, received lots of loving attention from Janet. She would make sure they had enough to eat and would even go to their home and bathe Sister Iverson on occasion. Her children grew up serving along with her. Her great example of service set them up to become lovers of serving others as well.
Janet entered the workforce as a lunchroom worker in 1977 to help with funding the missions of her two sons. She began working at Hurricane High School where she also made lifelong friends and later transferred to Hurricane Elementary to manage the lunchroom there. She worked at the high school until after her younger daughters had graduated. She always counseled her daughters, “If you have to work, get a job at a school. You’ll have the same daily hours as your children, and the same schedule throughout the year.” Janet always wanted to be there at the “crossroads” for each of her children. It was important for her to be home when they were home so that she could be there for them. She was a devoted and loving mother.
Janet’s family was everything to her. She loved her family, and she made sure to tell them how much she loved them often, because those words were not often spoken to her as she was growing up. She would say, “We always knew we were loved. We just didn’t hear it very often.”
Janet served as a Primary president and Relief Society president in her ward twice. She was a teacher in Relief Society and put hours of studying, preparation and prayer into each lesson. Her great example as a visiting teacher and later a ministering sister, inspired all who knew her. She set the bar high for her daughters and others to follow. She was faithful and diligent in every calling she had. Daily prayer and scripture study were a constant in her life. Later she and Dad served together in the Primary for many years.
Janet was an avid reader. She loved to read and did so every day. She was also an avid walker and firmly believed in taking care of herself physically. It has been noted that mom would get up with her husband at 4:30 in the morning, fix him breakfast and prepare his lunch for work, wake up her children at 6 a.m. for family scripture study and morning prayer, get them off to school and then go to work in the school kitchen. After working hours at the school kitchen, she would come home and continue to put in hours and hours of work at home: washing and ironing curtains, bedding, cleaning the home, washing carpets, baking meals for her family, canning and preserving the bounty from the garden, serving her family and neighbors and so much more.
Janet loved to laugh. She had a great sense of humor. She also enjoyed quilting and crocheting. She made several doilies which she gave to loved ones, family and friends for their homes. She made countless baby blankets for her grandchildren. Mom would have several women over from the ward to help her quilt a large quilt. She taught her daughters to quilt and to bind the quilts as well. Janet was a wonderful teacher and a talented woman.
Janet played the piano and had a beautiful alto voice. She and Edward would often be asked to sing for funerals. She sang in the ward choir for years along with her husband and a few of her children. She was very talented.
Janet loved music. Bing Crosby, The Carpenters and many more. She loved flowers and growing things. She loved children — especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Any time her family came back home to visit, she would have the whole house cleaned, cook some fabulous food, and thoroughly enjoy spending time with each and every one of them. Laughing and visiting were a favorite pastime with family. And after everyone had come and had a wonderful time connecting, eating, laughing and having a great time, as they were pulling out to go home, Mom and the rest of us would follow them out the door, watch them load up in their cars and wave until we couldn’t see them anymore. They knew they were loved and that they would be missed.
Janet and Edward served two missions. The first one was in the Portland, Oregon mission. They lived in a home on the peninsula and served the people there with all of their hearts. Even though they only saw the sun on a handful of days during their time there, it was a beautiful experience that they treasured.
Janet and Edward’s next mission was in Benemerito, Mexico. Before it was an MTC, this was a junior high and high school campus for the local young men. Mom’s job was to cook for them every day. Mom’s cooking was always the best. The boys there loved her cooking, as did all of her family members and anyone who was lucky enough to be served by her. She was a wonderful example of Christlike service wherever she went.
Janet served in the St. George temple as a temple worker for several years. She always encouraged her children to serve in the temple by telling them what her mother told her, “The best way to bless your family is to serve in the temple.” Janet was true to the words she spoke. She did her best to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ every day. We knew the gospel was true because of how our mother lived. And this is a great blessing for us and for our children and their children.
A Funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 29, at 11 a.m. with a viewing prior from 9-10:45 a.m. at the La Verkin Stake Center with a burial to follow in the La Verkin City Cemetery. To view via Zoom: Webinar ID 977 9007 6329 Passcode 595223
Family and friends are invited to click here to share tributes online. Arrangements and memorial tree planting by Serenity Funeral Home of Southern Utah, 435-986-9100.