Family History
Vaudis June Wight
October 25, 1936
Vaudis June Wight
25 October 1936 to 7 December 2011
Parents:
-
J.Blaine Wight
Viola June Engelking
Siblings:
Delma Wight
Betty Ann Wight
Gale Wight
Spouse: 14 Sep 1955
Clark William Ward (1933-1975)
Children:
Clark William Ward, Jr.(1957-)
Valry Ward (1960-)
Kellie Michelle Ward (1966-)
April Dawn Ward (1971-)
Copyright (©) Ward B. Rasmussen. All rights reserved.
Clark & Vaudis wedding day in 1955 with parents.
Clark & Vaudis Ward family in 1975: Sitting L-R: Vaudis, April, Kellie, Clark; Standing L-R: Valry, Clark, Jr.
Vaudis at the Ward family reunion in 2010.
ALMO • Vaudis June Wight Ward passed away Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011, at her home in Almo.
She was born Oct. 25, 1936, in Brigham City, Utah, to J. Blaine and Viola June Engelking Wight. She was the oldest of four children. She was raised in Juniper, Idaho, on the family dry farm, where she learned to drive the truck and machinery and helped her dad in the fields. When she started school, they moved to Malta for the school year, then spent summers on the farm in Juniper. She graduated from Raft River High School in 1954 and attended one year of college at Utah State Agriculture College.
On Sept. 14, 1955, she married Clark William Ward, her high school sweetheart, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They lived in Malta for a short time, and she worked at the cafes in Strevell and Malta. They soon settled in Almo on the family ranch with Clark’s parents, Orville and Nina Ward. They milked dairy cows for several years and drove the milk truck. Eventually, they sold them and raised beef cattle. Vaudis worked alongside her husband doing whatever needed to be done. They formed the band “Clark Ward and the Ridgerunners” and traveled all over playing for dances. Vaudis drove school bus for Cassia County School District from Almo to Malta, retiring after more than 40 years of driving. She enjoyed this job very much and loved getting to know the kids. In 1975, her husband, Clark, passed away after a battle with cancer. She was by his side through it all.
Vaudis was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many capacities over the years, including Young Women president, camp director and stake dance director. She enjoyed watching her kids and then her grandkids in all their activities from ball games to speech contests to dance recitals to showing their steers at the county fairs. She was a good cook and well known for her pink popcorn and peanut brittle. She always had a treat for the grandkids.
She is survived by her son, Clark Ward Jr. (Sara Jane) of Almo; her daughters, Valry Boehme (Dean) of Smithfield, Utah, Kellie Kunzler (Del) of Park Valley, Utah, and April Bryngelson (Mark) of Rupert. She has 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her sisters, Delma Udy (Jerry) and Betty Ann Higley (Ted); and a brother, Gale Wight (Ann). In addition to her husband, Clark, she was preceded in death by her parents.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Almo LDS Church, with Bishop Michael O. Spencer officiating. Burial will be in the Sunny Cedar Rest Cemetery. Friends may call from 6 until 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St. in Burley, and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Tuesday at the church.
