Jillene Crawford Langston

Obituary for Jillene Crawford Langston With a heavy heart full of gratitude for a life well-lived, I announce the passing of Jillene (Jill) Crawford Langston at age 68. She peacefully slipped from this mortal life August 5th, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah surrounded by her family. Jillene Crawford Langston was born October 31, 1955 in the small community of Enterprise, Utah. Her parents were George Cleo Crawford and Edra Barlow. She is the sixth of six children: Mary Ellen (Morley Wilson), Gerald (Sybil), Eldon (Brenda), Kevin (Janet) and Donnene (John Matthews). She went to elementary school in Enterprise and then to Enterprise High where she was a Wolverine (precision dance team) for 3 years. She was President of the Wolverines her senior year. She was a beautiful young woman evidenced by her being chosen as Queen of The Sweethearts ball in the spring of 1973. She graduated with honors. After graduation she went to Dixie College for a time. Later she worked at Oak City while working as a secretary at the BLM office there. In 1977 she moved to Provo Utah where she worked at a collection agency and took some BYU classes. She met her future husband, Kent Franklin Langston, in Provo while living at Miller Apartments. That’s an interesting story – how she met Kent. Kent and his friend, Randy Russon, had just moved into Miller Apartments #6 in late August from Randy’s home in Orem. Well, Randy and Kent soon grew restless and wanted to meet some girls so Kent suggested: “On my mission, we did ‘spiritual contacting’ where we just knocked on doors we were prompted to (instead of every door). If that works for finding investigators then it should work for finding a wife. Let’s go over to the girl’s wing and try it out.” So over they went. Kent knocked on the first door he was prompted to and Jill answered the door. “We were wondering if there are any cute girls in here?” he nervously spurted out – the most stupid question ever asked when Jill was standing right there! “We?” she asked. Kent looked around and his friend Randy had fled the scene hiding around the corner. Kent retrieved him and Jill said “Why don’t you come in and see for yourself?” and the rest is history! We had our first date in January of 1978 – root beer floats at A&W. Our second date, we shelled pecans. Jill thought it was fun and I got a pecan pie out of the deal! I proposed in May and we were married October 6, 1978 for all time and eternity in the St. George temple. Jill worked while I finished my senior year at BYU in Chemical Engineering. In May of 1979, we moved to Rochester, Minnesota, where Kent worked at IBM. We weren’t there long until Jill had our first son, Jarron, on August 26, 1979. We were in heaven with a new little baby boy in our little 966 square foot home. Jill’s labor with Jarron was long and hard – 36 hours as I recall – but finally he was born (he had a big head – and still does!). We moved to a 2nd, bigger home in Rochester a couple of years later and Jill bore another son, Jacob, October 18, 1981. His head was normal size. Later, on December 5, 1984, our 3rd son was born – Jonathan. Our 4th son, Jordan, was born June 10, 1986 – just before we moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. We lived in Colorado for 3 years before moving to Austin Texas. Our 5th son was born while living in Austin on March 14, 1990. We lived in Austin for 9 years. Our only daughter, Katherine, was born in Austin on May 22, 1998. Learning Katherine was Down Syndrome was difficult to hear but our family loved her from the very beginning and she has been the most beautiful blessing to our family ever since! From Austin, we moved to Boise ID where we lived until April 2008. Our final move was to Saratoga Springs, Utah where we lived at the time of Jill’s passing. Our 5 sons have borne us 17 wonderful grandchildren to date. Jarron married Salena Jones of Boise, Idaho and they have 7 children. Jacob married Keli Larson of Magna, Utah and they have 6 children. Jonathan married Brittany Campbell of St. George, Utah and they have 4 children. Jordan is still single and was able to help take care of Jill during her long illness (Thank you, Jordan!). Jamison married Kevyn Ray and have 2 cats. Katherine lives at home with Jill and I. Jill loved music – especially piano and taught piano for nearly as long as we’ve been married starting out in Rochester Minnesota using the Suzuki method. She helped many children learn music over the next 40+ years – it was a joy to her and to this day counts many students and their parents among her best friends. She also loved primary. She taught with Kent many years and was also a primary pianist and chorister but loved being a chorister the most, I think. Someone told me they loved having Jill lead the primary songs because she always closed with her testimony. And that’s what probably defines Jill best – her firm testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and of the Savior himself. Next is her love of family and then of friends. She boasts friends from Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, Idaho and Utah. Besides music, her testimony and love of people, Jill loved the outdoors, gardening and flowers. Being a farmer's daughter was a big part of who she was and being outdoors is something she loved. Enjoying the fruits of her labors in gardening was a special part of Jill. She also loved sports and attended as many of her kids and grandkids sporting events as possible! We would often laugh about how she probably knew more about sports than most men. Ha!! Then there was the Special Mom/Grandma breakfasts! What her husband, Kent, loves most about Jill is her inner beauty from which streamed her outer beauty, kindness and love – first and foremost to him, then our children and then to her friends. She always loved me unconditionally and for that I’ll always be thankful! I love you, honey, and will forever and ever! Jill stayed faithful to her Savior her entire life and now, along with Paul, can say: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Jill was one of 6 children. She was preceded in death by her parents George and Edra Crawford, her brothers Kevin (Janet) Crawford and Gerald (Sybil) Crawford, and her sister Mary Ellen (Morley) Wilson. She is survived by her loving husband of nearly 46 years, Kent Langston, her five sons Jarron (Salena) Langston, Jacob (Keli) Langston, Jonathan (Brittany) Langston, Jordan Langston, and Jamison (Kevyn) Langston and her beautiful daughter Katherine Langston, as well as 17 loving grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Donnene (John) Mathews and her brother Eldon (Brenda) Crawford. Funeral services will be held August 17, 2024 at the LDS chapel at 136 W Summerhill Dr, Saratoga Springs, UT 84045 at noon. A viewing is planned for Friday, August 16, from 6 to 8 pm as well as Saturday from 10:30 to 11:30. Zoom Link for Jillene's Funeral Services. https://zoom.us/j/98441019552

Jillene Crawford Langston

October 31, 1955 - August 5, 2024