Mom grew up on her parents’ dairy farm in Smithfield, where hard work was simply a way of life. She helped with everything on the farm, from caring for the animals to working in the fields and harvesting sugar beets. Those early years taught her the qualities that would define her throughout her life: determination, resourcefulness, service, and an ability to work hard without complaint. Mom was blessed with a naturally cheerful disposition that drew people to her and blessed the lives of all who knew her.

Mom had many talents and interests. She attended Utah Agricultural College, now Utah State University, where she majored in music with the dream of becoming a music teacher. While in college, she was a member of the marching band and played the saxophone. She was also on the rifle team, worked as a soda jerk at the Bluebird Café in Logan, and even won the milking contest at the Agricultural College.

Mom was an exceptional homemaker. She could bake, cook, sew, quilt, and can, and took great pride in keeping her home clean, organized and running smoothly. She was especially intentional about teaching her daughters these skills, patiently passing on the knowledge she had learned from her own mother and years of experience.

Music remained one of the great loves of her life. She was a church organist for years. She was a fabulous music teacher to all five of her children. Our home was filled with singing, harmonizing, piano playing, and music. More than teaching us music, she taught us to appreciate the joy music can bring and gave us a lifelong love of singing and making music together.

At age 21, Mavis served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sweden. During her mission, she was part of a performing group called the Mormonaires, which toured throughout the mission. While there, she met Herbert Beck Spencer, who was also serving as a missionary. After Herb returned from his mission, they were married in the Logan Temple on May 26, 1952. Her love for Sweden and its people became a lasting part of her life.

Their married life was filled with faith, family, and service. Herb went to medical school at the U of U. They had three children while living in Stadium Village in a tiny studio apartment with only a single hot plate to cook on. After medical school, Dad became a doctor serving in the Air Force. This required them to move to several states, finishing their service in Germany.

At the end of their military service in 1969, the family was called to serve as mission leaders in Sweden. They packed up their family once again and returned to Sweden, this time together, where they served for three years.

Moving a family of seven every year and a half required tremendous strength, organization, flexibility, and faith. Mom handled it all with remarkable grace. She made each new location feel like home while caring for her family, supporting her husband, welcoming missionaries, and making many new friends.

Eventually the family settled in Provo, Utah, where Mom continued a lifetime of service in the Church and in her community. She volunteered as a Pink Lady at the hospital for many years and served as president of the Medical Auxiliary for doctors’ wives. She served faithfully as a Relief Society president and used her musical skills in many callings. She served 35 years as a temple worker in six different temples. She wanted to serve a tenth of her life in tithing to the Lord and accomplished this by serving six separate missions, including a proselytizing mission to San Jose, California with young sister companions while in her 60’s, where she had great success. Her total time spent in missionary service was ten and a half years.

Mavis had a special place in her heart for the young Swedish missionaries she served. She loved them and they loved her in return. Many of those missionaries remained connected to her throughout their lives. The friendships she formed with them were among the most treasured relationships of her later years.

Mom’s greatest joy was her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was their Grandma Mutti and they adored her. She loved having them around, reading them countless books, listening to their stories, and taking a genuine interest in each one of their lives. She could remember all of their names until the last few months of her life.

Mavis is survived by her five children: David (Nancy) Spencer, Anne (Steve) Tucker, John (Terri) Spencer, Susan (Michele) Fazio, and Julie (Jeff) Crandall, 19 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren, and her siblings Carroll Carlson and Ross Plowman.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Herbert B. Spencer, and her brother, Gerald Junior Plowman.

To the five of us, Mom was much more than our mother. She was our teacher, our example, our music instructor, our cheerleader, and our source of strength. She taught us to work hard, serve others, have faith, make music, enjoy life, and love our families.

Mom’s legacy lives on in the family she created and in the many lives she touched. We feel incredibly blessed to have had her as our mother and grandmother. We will miss her more than words can express, but we are grateful for the remarkable life she lived and for the example she left us.

Funeral services will be held Friday, September 25, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. with a viewing held prior at 9:30 a.m.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 2550 W 9800 S South Jordan Utah

Interment will be at Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park in Bluffdale Utah on November 6.

Funeral services provided by Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, South Jordan.