Martha Okerlund Obituary

Martha Michele Stout Okerlund

May 27, 1962 – June 26, 2025

Martha (Marti) Michele Stout Okerlund returned faithfully and triumphantly to her heavenly home on June 26, 2025.

She was born on May 27, 1962, in Provo, Utah, the ninth of ten children to Colleen Fern Engh and Owen Wayne Stout. Martha enjoyed a joyous, free-range childhood full of adventure, fun, and mischief alongside her siblings in Orem, Utah. She had a flair for the theatrical, performing in all her high school's musicals and loved playing the comedic roles. At age 17, after saving diligently for two years, she embarked on one of the most formative experiences of her life-traveling across Europe and living abroad for six months. She graduated from Orem High School in 1980 and attended a year at Brigham Young University.

At age 19, Martha met the love of her life, Daniel Lee Okerlund. They were sealed for time and all eternity on August 14, 1981, in the Manti Utah Temple. In 1984, they moved to Southern California. There, they raised their family, bought their first home, made cherished memories, and built lifelong friendships. Over seven years, they welcomed four children: Emily, Erin, David, and Katie. Then, in a joyful surprise 14 years later, they were blessed with Olivia Grace. After 33 years in California Martha and Dan returned to their native home, moving to Mapleton, Utah, making more life-long friends.

Martha was an incredibly gifted singer with a deep and abiding love for music. She spent 20 years as a member of the Anaheim Mormon Chorale and served as her ward's chorister for 25 years. She sang at so many funerals that her family affectionately nicknamed her "the funeral singer." Heaven has surely gained a remarkable soprano to join its choirs.

A life of service defined Martha's character. She was a faithful visiting teacher and had a special place in her heart for those who were poor or poor in spirit. She took the Savior's admonition in Matthew 25 to heart-feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting and writing to the sick and imprisoned, and opening her home to strangers (often those on their way to Disneyland). Her faith was lived through action, and her life stands as a powerful testimony of her belief in Jesus Christ.

Though Martha had many accomplishments, she considered her greatest achievement to be her role as a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She cherished her home and created a haven of beauty, safety, and warmth for her family. Each of her children felt uniquely loved, and together they honor her name and legacy.

The last few years of Martha's life were marked by illness and disability. Although her declining health eventually limited her ability to leave home, she retained her warm and fun-loving disposition. She prepared gifts for others and had her children deliver them, stayed actively involved in the lives of her children and grandchildren through modern technology, and cherished visits from family, friends, and neighbors. She remained steadfast in her faith and will be welcomed home as a valiant daughter of God.

Martha is preceded in death by her father Owen and her brother Wayne. She is survived by her beloved family: her husband, Dan; her children, Emily Warne (Tom), Erin Davis (Eric), David, Katie Allred (Nick), and Olivia Burnett (Blake); and her twelve grandchildren: Samantha, Thomas, Eliza, Rebecca, Andrew, Heidi, Amelia, Tessa, Noah, Everlee, Emmajane, and Juliette. She is also survived by her dear mother, Colleen Fern Engh Stout, and eight of her siblings–Lynn, Kirt, Shauna, Kari, Jayne, Paul, Andrea, and Janna–who continue to honor her life and legacy.

She was a singer, a storyteller, a lightning-fast typist, a thespian, a comedian, a devoted friend, a lifelong and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Primary leader, a savvy deal-finder, a night owl, a devoted wife-but most of all, a mother. And to her children, she was the best mother on earth.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at 11:00 a.m at 1050 N 300 W, Mapleton, Utah. Interment will follow at the Mapleton Cemetery.

A webcast of the service will be available at www.walkersanderson.com.