Gwen S. Crump

Copperton, Utah—Gwen Sandstrom Crump, age 92, passed away due to natural causes on September 12, 2024 at the Meadow Peak Assisted Living facility in Taylorsville, Utah. Gwen was born on April 30, 1932 in Lark, Utah to Jesse Wilford Sandstrom and Lillis Mary Oberg. She grew up in the mining town of Lark attending Lark Elementary, Bingham Junior High and Bingham High School. 

At Bingham High School, Gwen participated in numerous activities that included the Minerettes pep club and drill team, student government, band, dance revue and school plays. During her junior year she was elected junior class vice president and as a senior she served as student body vice president. Her high school years were enjoyable and memorable and she made friendships that would last a lifetime.

After graduating from Bingham High in 1950, she attended Brigham Young University where she was involved in dance and was a Cougarette. At the end of her freshman year, she would marry Cal Crump on June 20, 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple. Cal had grown up across the street from her in Lark and they had been friends for most of their lives. They would enjoy 64 and a half years of marriage together, being separated temporarily by Cal’s death in 2016. 

She would leave BYU and move to Baltimore, Maryland and Newport, Rhode Island where Cal was stationed while serving as a corpsman in the US Navy during the Korean War. At the conflict’s end in 1953, they moved back to Lark and in the fall of 1954, they moved to Copperton when Cal was hired to teach at Bingham High School. They would spend the rest of their lives in Copperton. Gwen’s pride and joy would be her family and as a stay-at-home mother she made sure that her four children, Scott, Russell, Tammy and Cindy learned life’s most important lessons and supported them in all their activities. She was a kind, caring and loving mother with a wonderful sense of humor and an optimistic personality. 

She obtained a job working outside her home when her sons were serving missions. She was employed at Bingham High School, first in the cafeteria collecting lunch tickets and later as a Career Center Specialist and Vocational Aide. She loved teaching and working with students. She retired in 1990 after 17 years of employment at Bingham High. 

She lived a life dedicated to her family, church and community. She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spent a lifetime of service to others working in the Primary, Relief Society, and Young Women’s organizations. She served as Primary President (10 years), counselor, teacher and chorister; Relief Society counselor and teacher; and Young Women’s MIA President, counselor and teacher; as well as in number of other positions. She also served her community as a leader in the Copperton Study Guild, the Copperton Elementary PTA, and as an auxiliary member of the Bingham Lions Club. 

Gwen loved dancing—especially tap and ballet. She would become a dance teacher, teaching lessons for the Salt Lake County Recreation program in Lark. She also enjoyed doing handwork and taught herself to crochet, knit and do needlepoint. Many family members and friends were the beneficiaries of her creative talents in the form of baby blankets, quilts, piano seat covers, wall hangings, Afghan blankets, washcloths, ties or beanies. She learned to sew from her mother, a skill that she would employ throughout her life—making and mending clothes for her family. When her children were growing up, she would regularly cut and sew outfits for them to wear to church or other activities. 

As a life-long learner, reading was another of her favorite activities. She loved biographies and historical fiction the most. Other favorite pursuits included traveling, spending winters in St. George, participating in family birthday and holiday traditions, and spending time with her grandchildren. 

Gwen was preceded in death by her husband, father, mother, two brothers (Jack and Terry Sandstrom), and great grand-daughter, Kaiya. She is survived by her children, Scott (Desiree), Russell (Janice), Tammy (Alan) Rindlisbacher, and Cindy; 11 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, and two brothers Ted (Linda) and Sid (Linda) Sandstrom. 

Sincere thanks is extended to Gwen’s caregivers at Meadow Peak Assisted Living and hospice providers for their kind and loving care during Gwen’s last months of life. 

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday September 28, 2024 at the Copperton Ward in Copperton, Utah. Friends may call on Friday September 27, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Goff Mortuary, 8090 South State St., Midvale, Utah or at the Copperton Ward on 8633 Hillcrest Street, 10:00 to 10:45 am prior to the services. Burial will be at the Herriman City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bingham High School Alumni Foundation for the Crump Scholarship endowment fund.

The service will be livestreamed on the Goff Mortuary Facebook Page at the following link: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Funeral-Service---Cemetery/Goff-Mortuary-116988261695382/ 

(The livestream video will appear when the service starts.)