Mamie Wasden Obituary (1935 - 2025)

Mamie Lue Wasden was born to Earl Lionel and Edith Peterson Wasden. She was the eldest of three children, followed by her sister Sandra (Crowell) and brother LaMar. Mamie spent the first eleven years of her life in the small central Utah farming community of Scipio, Utah, where her parents were born, raised, married, created a family, and worked hard to provide for all during the difficult depression and pre-WWII years. The family then packed up their belongings and moved to the big city of Salt Lake, settling in a large-porched house on 9th East and 2nd South. Mamie graduated from East High and, in 1956, left to serve a mission in England. She loved it there and spoke fondly of her adventures riding her bike through the British countryside. In the mid-60s, Mamie, LaMar, and her parents moved to Michigan Avenue, where she lived for the next 50 years. Mame enjoyed the tree-canopied streets, the neighbors, her rose garden, and the many family celebrations and Sunday and Tuesday dinners that took place there. Mamie worked in JC Penney’s business department, and upon retirement, she volunteered for years at Primary Children’s Hospital. Mamie loved music. She played the piano, but her real talent was her beautiful voice. Mame took voice lessons for decades and sang in many choir and choral groups throughout the city. After attending the Broadway musical Oliver, Mame returned from New York with the music books and immediately began teaching the songs to her nephews. Tuesday evenings were spent around the piano learning and singing our favorites: Consider Yourself at Home, I’d Do Anything, and Oom Pah-Pah. The song Oh, That I Were an Angel never sounded more heavenly than when Mame sang it. A favorite of her oldest nephew, she performed it at his mission farewell. Mamie loved reading, devouring hundreds of books each year. The book clubs loved her. In fact, all mail-order companies loved Mamie as she distributed her funds, among them buying ornaments, trinkets, jewelry, collector plates, figurines, and anything else she could order. Mamie loved her dogs, especially her poodle, Dandy, who Mame fattened on nothing but the highest-quality meats the butcher could offer. Mamie loved her nephews and niece. When her youngest nephew, Jason, was severely burned in a furnace explosion and fighting for his life the next few days, Mame took over caring for, loving, comforting, and protecting his older brother, Kevin – a memory that Kevin holds dear. Mamie is preceded in death by her parents, sister, brother, two nephews – Jason Wasden and Jeffrey Crowell, and her niece - Shannon Crowell Donahue. And Dandy. She is survived by those of us still standing.