Our dear mother, Beth Rollins Hansen, quietly passed through the veil to join her eternal husband, Dean, and her heavenly family as they welcome her with open arms on Monday, Aug. 28. She had been in declining health for several years. She was 99 years old.
Beth was born on May 12, 1924, in Lyman, to George Leon and Margaret Viola (Easton) Rollins. She was the fourth of six children and the last surviving child.
This Rollins clan were of sturdy pioneering, farming and ranching people. Leon and Viola raised their children to love each other, to love challenging work and to love the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a child, Beth had to do chores on the ranch; usually weeding the garden, feeding the chickens, feeding the baby lambs or churning the butter. Everyone had to lend a hand.
Beth attended Lyman High School, where she enjoyed playing basketball and singing in the choir. She sang in various school groups, but mostly with her sisters, Myrtle and Carma. They had beautiful voices and harmonies and performed in churches, at weddings, funerals, political rallies, school programs, community programs and reunions. They also sang at LDS temple programs, bringing joy to all that would hear them.
When she was 16 years old, she won a trip to Chicago as part of a 4-H canning project. She bottled 1,000 jars of vegetables, fruits, and meats for her mother, aunts and grandmother — which was a huge feat to conduct while being of service to her family. In later years, she taught each of her children how to can and it has sustained us through thick and thin many times.
Soon after graduating from high school, Beth enrolled in a Cosmetology College in Salt Lake City. After graduating, she opened a beauty shop in Evanston. During her 50-year career as a beautician, she owned and operated shops in Wyoming and Utah. She also worked as an instructor in a beauty college in Ogden, Utah. After she got older, she cut back on the beauty business and worked for 15 years at the Wyoming State Hospital and earned a state pension.
She married John January and had two children — Sharron Anne and a baby, John, who only lived for a day. They later divorced.
She married Edwin Ray Osborn and had three more children: Barbara Ruth, Kathleen and Richard Edwin. He adopted Sharron Anne. They later divorced.
She was a single mom after that for many years. When Beth was 74, she met and fell in love with Quenth Dean Hansen, who was 75 years old. He taught the Book of Mormon classes to seniors in her ward. This group of seniors would go to the temple in Ogden each month.
Soon, it was only Beth and Dean going by themselves on “dates” and their love grew while serving our Heavenly Father in the temple. They married in the Ogden LDS Temple on April 25, 1998. They had been married 23 years when Dean passed away on July 26, 2021. He was 99 years old.
Beth was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She held many jobs in the church that mostly centered around music. In 2001, Beth and Dean served on a mission in the Arizona Tucson Mission. Mom had always wanted to serve a mission, so this was a special experience for her.
Even though her eyesight was failing, Mom read the Book of Mormon, the New Testament, the Doctrine of Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price this past year. She loved the scriptures and the relationship she developed with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through them. She received many blessings because of her faithfulness.
Beth was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She was an avid pinochle and bridge player and played with the same group of friends well into her 96th year. Beth was the No. 1 Wyoming fan of the Utah Jazz, and she never missed watching a game.
Beth was preceded in death by her eternal husband; her sweet parents; and her siblings: Myrtle (Claude) Smith, Carma (Mel) Corbridge, Wayne (Donna) Rollins, Vernal (Gloria) Rollins and Floyd (Blanche) Rollins. She is also preceded in death by her sons, John January and Richard Edwin Osborn.
Those left behind are her daughters: Sharron Anne (LaMar) Eyre of Lehi, Utah; Barbara Ruth (Jerry) Zellars of Cheyenne; and Kathleen Osborn Lytle of Fallon, Nevada. She had 19 grandchildren, 69 great-grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. She also had many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends who loved her dearly.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Evanston 4th Ward building, 201 Sage St. Family and friends may attend a Friday viewing from 6 to 8 p.m. at the church and from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. prior to the service on Saturday. Interment will follow in the Evanston City Cemetery.
