Raylene Marie Griffith Ireland Obituary (1952 - 2015)

Raylene Marie Griffith Ireland was born February 9, 1952, in Murray, Utah, and was the third child of Jack Arthur Ray Griffith and Doris May Cook. She would become one of ten children in her family. She spent the years of her life as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, colleague, and devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She married Ward J Ireland on May 26, 1972, in the Salt Lake Temple and spent a wonderful lifetime with him. Their marriage was blessed with seven remarkable children. Raylene loved nurturing her family and created opportunities to bring them together through frequent family dinners, legendary Easter egg hunts, family-produced Halloween film festivals, and lively campouts in the backyard, to name a few. She was an avid reader, gifted speaker, and was often sought after for advice. She valued people and encouraged them to excel. Raylene was passionate about political activity from childhood. In the public sector she served as the executive assistant to Mayor Joseph Jenkins, Provo City, and years later as the director of governmental affairs to Mayor Lewis Billings, Provo City. She also served twelve years as a cabinet member for Governor Michael Leavitt and Governor Olene Walker as the executive director of the Utah Department of Administrative Services and then as the executive director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services. It was her privilege to conclude her public work as the administrator of the Olene S. Walker Transition to Adult Living Scholarship. She provided hundreds of hours of volunteer service to a number of state and community boards and commissions, such as America's Freedom Festival at Provo and the Republican Party, where she served as the first woman chairman in Utah County. She received the Athena Award from the Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce for her service in the public sector. She concluded her years of service as an ordinance worker in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. She passed away from cancer at her home surrounded by family on Saturday, March 7, 2015. She is survived by her husband, Ward J Ireland; seven children: David (Laralee), Matthew (Shellie), Bryant (Jessica), Anne (Rob), James (Natasha), Mark, and Debbie; 20 grandchildren; siblings: Russell Hoskins (Julie), Cheryl Hoskins Cramer, Terry Hoskins (Angie), and Stacy Moore; brothers-in-law: Dee Dipretoro and Keith Carter; and many wonderful nieces, nephews, and cousins. Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 14, 2015, at 11 a.m. at the Lindon West LDS Stake Center, 1030 West 1600 North, Orem. Viewings will be held Friday, March 13, 2015, from 6-8 p.m. at the Olpin Family Mortuary, 494 South 300 East, Pleasant Grove, and at the church on Saturday one hour prior to the services. Interment will be held at the Provo City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.olpinmortuary.com