LaDawn Porter Gubler passed away peacefully on Friday June 10, 2011 surrounded by her loving family.
She was born September 16, 1932 in Provo, Utah on her oldest sister’s 12th birthday to Omni and Hattie Roberts Porter. She went to Franklin Elementary and Dixon Jr. High in Provo then moved with her family to St. George in 1946. There she attended Woodward Jr. High School and graduated from Dixie Jr. College. She attended Falcon School of Dance in Hollywood, CA for one year. She taught Tap and Ballet dancing in St. George with Reynolds Johnson. She also taught dancing in Enterprise, Springdale and Toquerville. She also worked as a telephone operator and as a secretary in the Mountain Bell Telephone office.
DeLoy Gubler and LaDawn were married in the St. George Temple on August 6, 1955. They are the parents of eight children. After their children were raised DeLoy and LaDawn moved to Apple Valley and lived there for 15 years and loved to entertain family and friends, then moved to Ivins, UT in 2005, where she worked as a crossing guard for Red Mountain Elementary for several years. Each child held a special place in her heart.
LaDawn worked as Washington County Senior Citizen Coordinator from 1982 until 1996. She made many lasting friends there. After her retirement she and DeLoy served a LDS Mission on the Navajo Indian Reservation. They served a second mission at the LDS Warm Springs Resort in Moapa, NV.
LaDawn has been an active church member all her adult life. Her favorite church callings were Activity Committee Chairman, Gospel Doctrine teacher and teaching in Primary. She loved dancing, riding horses, frequent trips to the ‘hot pots’ at Truth or Consequences, New Mexico and raising her children and enjoying her grandchildren. She loved serving others and had unconditional love for everyone she came in contact with.
She is preceded in death by her parents; son Chad; sister Fontella Porter Nuttall and brother Danny Porter.
She is survived by her husband, DeLoy; children Natalie Andrus, Bernadine (Billy) Leon, Jeannie (Dar) Atwood, Claude (Jami) Gubler, Rachel (David) Heinrich, Ben (Gia) Gubler, Shay Gubler, 25 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren; and her sister Luana Porter Bunnell.
LaDawn’s mission statement: “Buy punch from every Kool-Aid vendor. It makes the child selling it very happy. I never ask for my money back when I have to throw the punch out down the road because it is too weak and too warm.”
Her motto: “Live, love, laugh, learn.”
The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at Dixie Regional Medical Center CVU for the care and compassion that was shown her while she was ill.
A viewing will be held Wednesday, June 15th from 6 to 8pm at the Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., Saint George, UT. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 16th at 11:00 am at the St. George 10th Ward Chapel, 591 West 500 North, preceded by a viewing from 9:30 to 10:30 am. Interment will be at the Ivin’s City Cemetery.
