Merlene was born on February 7, 1939 to Oris James & Elva Newell in American Fork, Utah. She was born the second child in a family of four children. She was preceded in death by her mother and father and brother Ron O. Newell, and sons Todd Allen Harward and Blaine (Scooter) Farnworth.

She was born and raised in a house her father built on 600 East in Orem. As a young girl, she loved riding her favorite horse, Nip. Merlene married Ken Harward in July, 1957. They were later married in the Manti Temple and raised their five children as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They lived in Utah, Huntington Beach, CA, and Denver, CO, where in 1972 they divorced.

Merlene then moved back home to Orem with the support of her loving parents. In 1972, she had a home built next door to them and lived there until her passing. Faced with having to support her little family all by herself, she worked at Smitty’s Bakery in Orem for over four years. In 1975 she met and married Blaine Farnworth, a father of four. Blaine and Merlene dated for a whole two months before they fell in love and Blaine asked her to marry him. It turned out to be one of the bravest decisions they ever made, joining âhis and hersã into one big happy family of nine children in a four-bedroom, one bathroom home. They were sealed in the Provo Temple in 1980, along with his children.

For forty-six years, Merlene and Blaine worked side by side together to raise their large family. After their first year of marriage, she was able to quit her job at Smitty’s Bakery and stay home to concentrate all her time and energy in taking care of her family and home. Blaine and Merlene loved to do everything together and could seldom be seen apart except for when Blain was working at Geneva. Together they loved to camp, beautify their home, maintain & harvest their large garden and fruit trees, and keep their family learning, growing and busy. Family fun was an important aspect of their lives, including many trips to Canyonlands, East Canyon, Lake Powell, Disneyland, and many other adventurous vacations. It goes without saying that Blaine and Merlene loved each other deeply and were great examples to their family of how a husband and wife work together in love and righteousness.

Merlene loved and depended upon her Father in Heaven her entire life. She was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fueled by a passion for service, she held many callings in the church; Primary President, Relief Society President, and Activities Committee Chair in the Vermont 2nd Ward. It was her personal goal to minister to every single woman in the ward. She also served in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple for several years. Nothing brought her more joy than to see her children do their best in living the Gospel. It was, and is, her deepest desire to live throughout Eternity alongside her family and loved ones.

Merlene’s greatest joy was her family and her home. She worked tirelessly tending after the needs of her family and creating a beautiful, safe environment to raise their kids. To take care of her large family, she perfected the tasks of cleaning up after and making meals for eleven hungry mouths, beautifying her home, working with Blaine in the garden, and her favorite pastime, planting, weeding, and nurturing hundreds of flowers throughout the year. She loved to fill her yard with beautiful flowers. In her later years she often took advantage of her well-earned quiet time by reading books, but reading always took a back seat to freezing and canning fruits and vegetables. Most of that hard work ended up in the cupboards of their children and grandchildren as they shared their labor of love.

Not only did she raise her children, she also helped raise many of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her home was the favorite after-school destination of many of her preschool and elementary aged grandkids. Every child knew her cookie cupboard was always well stocked with cookies and treats.

Merlene is loved by so many, and she will be greatly missed but her influence will always be felt by those who love her most.

Survivors include husband Blaine E. Farnworth, siblings Ann Newell Holdaway, Larry Newell and sons and daughters, K. Scott Harward, Teressa Harward Donaldson, Tammy Farnworth Cramer, Gwen Farnworth Reese, Troy J. Harward, Mark S. Harward, Brett D. Harward and Shiree Farnworth Hardy; as well as twenty-nine grandchildren, thirty-seven great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday, October 13th from 6:00 ­- 8:00 pm at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home at 646 E 800 N Orem, Utah. Funeral services will be held Thursday, October 14th at the LDS church on 400 N 400 E Orem, Utah, viewing 9:30 ­to 10:30 am, followed by the funeral at 11:00 am. Interment will be held at the Orem City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.walkersanderson.com.