Merinda Sue Mikesell

Merinda Sue Mikesell, 59, our beloved mom, grandma, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, returned home to her Heavenly Father on August 29, 2024. She was born on September 1, 1964, in Ogden, Utah, to Wendell and Dorline Mikesell.

 Merinda grew up in Morgan, Utah, as the youngest of five children. As the baby of the family, her brothers, Kim and Sam, were her heroes, and her sister, Leatha, was her protector. After her mother passed away and her father remarried, she gained a stepmother, Shaunna, and three more siblings: her little big brother Mitch, Chaddie, and her little sis’ Shandalee. 

 In her youth, she competed in pageants and “loved” the ringlets her mom insisted she wear in her hair. She was the quintessential coach’s daughter, spending much of her youth with her dad on the football field, rooting for her brothers and the countless little league football boys her dad coached. Like her mom, she was a talented artist and excelled in chalking ceramics and she had a knack for crocheting blankets and stocking caps. Her dad was her hero, and her mom was her perfect example. The loss of her mom at a young age and her dad later in life left huge holes in her heart that could never be filled. She learned from them to persevere and to love unconditionally. She longed for the day she could be with them again, and it was surely an awesome reunion.

 Merinda graduated from Morgan High School in 1982 and later attended Weber State University, where she was just a few credits short of earning her degree in Criminal Justice. She worked many jobs throughout her life, but her favorites were as a substitute teacher and in customer service, where she considered every customer her friend.

 Merinda was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in many callings; her favorites were Primary Teacher and a Scout Leader. She received her temple endowments with her sister at the Ogden Temple in 1989.

 Her greatest treasures were her boys, her daughter-in-law, and her grandkids. There has never been a mom or grandma prouder of her kids and grandkids, and she made sure everyone she met knew it. Together with her sister, she raised her boys, Tyrel and Brody, in Henefer, Utah, and made countless life-long friendships there. Leatha considered Merinda sharing her boys her greatest gift. Merinda never missed a game, performance, competition, or comic show her boys participated in. Many of Ty and Brody’s friends considered her a second mom; she took a great interest in their lives and loved them as her own. We love you mom and grandma, “to the moon and back, and all the stars in heaven.” 

 Merinda was preceded in death by her parents, Wendell and Dorline Mikesell, her sisters Leatha and Annette Mikesell, and her grandson, Maddux Mikesell.

 She is survived by her sons, Tyrel (Katie) and Brody; her grandchildren, Milly, Ainsley, Maisy, Calvin, and Sadie; her boyfriend, Jim; her stepmother, Shaunna; her siblings, Kim (Chaiiinda), Sam (Laura), Mitch (Jaime), Chad (Jenica), and Shandalee (Spencer); her Aunt Peggy; six nieces and nephews, and countless cousins and friends.

 A viewing will be held on September 3, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Funeral services will be held on September 4, 2024, at 11:00 AM at the Rock Church in Morgan, Utah. A viewing will also be held prior to the service from 9:45 to 10:45.