Our Momma Barton passed into eternity surrounded by family on October 28th, 2024. Charlene was born December 30th, 1948. She was raised in Alton, Utah by her parents: Loyd and Alma Heaton. She married her Valley High sweetheart, DeLynn Barton on September 4th, 1971 in the St. George Temple. Charlene and DeLynn lived shortly in Logan, Utah while DeLynn finished his degree, then moved to Wells, Nevada. They then returned home to Orderville, Utah where they raised their family of 9 children. They finally moved to Cedar City in 1989 where they have been since.
Mom’s greatest duty and highest honor was raising her children. We never started a day without scripture study and we never ate a meal without prayer. She battled with her learning disorder of dyslexia to get a college degree and valued education for each of her children. She spent many nights sitting next to her kids, offering support, while they struggled through assignments above her comprehension. Mom took great pride in the degrees her kids earned. Everything she did was to help her family. She would always remind us that all she wants is an eternal family, usually after spanking one of us.
Charlene’s love language was food. Pretty much everyone within a 20 mile radius was the recipient of her cooking or baking. If she ever brought you a meal or a treat it wasn’t because she signed up on a list somewhere. It was because she loves you. Her homemade bread was legendary. Mom didn’t have all the answers, but she had fresh warm rolls and that’s pretty much the same thing. She combined her love of raising a garden, collecting coupons and finding bargains, and baking to feed her family when money was tight. She was so good at it wards and stakes in the area would have her come and share her skills. Mom spent summers growing her famous garden and then spent the fall canning salsa, freezing corn, bottling syrups and jams, and sneaking zucchinis onto the neighbor’s porches. She was frustrated that a friend of hers could grow bigger onions than her. She did research and asked the experts at the seed store how to grow a bigger onion. The last two years she took a lot of satisfaction in having large onions.
The only thing Charlene loved as much as her family was her Lord and Savior. She was a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She was crucial to each ward she was in. Mom served anywhere she was asked to be. She was the first to show up and the last to leave at any activity. She spent many years working in the Boy Scouts as the advancement chair. If you were in the same troop as her and you have an Eagle Scout ranking, she probably did as much work as you to get the Eagle. Her goal was to serve a mission. Charlene and DeLynn were called to the Farmington, NM mission and served in Chinle, AZ where they taught addiction recovery classes and worked as member support in the ward they were in. She loved the members and the friends she made in Chinle. She talked fondly of the lessons she learned while teaching the gospel and recovery steps to her friends.
Her grandkids were her joy. She spoiled them rotten. Her kids watched in shock as their stern mother turned into the soft, fun-loving grandmother right before our eyes. She spent a lot of her days tending the grandkids, which really meant little or no adult supervision, but one of them had a driver’s license and seemingly unlimited funds. They would go to maverick for slushies, the dollar store for trinkets and toys, and ice cream and candy trips. She could go to her pantry and pull goldfish crackers or cheeseballs out of thin air. The grandkids were cuddled and hugged and told how perfect they were and how much they were loved. She would drop everything when the older grandkids came to the house to play a game of uno or phase 10. Her favorite trick was to cheat at the game just to see if she could get away with it. She would use the card game to ask about their day and what was going on in their lives. She had a way of believing in you completely. If you told her you were going to make a rocket ship out of cardboard to fly to the moon she would help you find the supplies and the duct tape and then be as disappointed as you were when it didn’t work.
Charlene was greeted into Heaven by her infant son, Charles Monte, and her parents Loyd and Alma Heaton as well as many other friends and extended family. She is now waiting for her husband, DeLynn Barton, her children: Clayton and Callie, Raquel and Randy, Bryce and Alisha, Jade and Jase, Wes, Brad, Becky and Steven, and Steven and Angela along with her 26 grandkids and 2 great grandchildren. We are sure she is spoiling the grandson soon to join the family in December. She is also survived by her brother and 5 sisters.
She left as much good as she possibly could before she departed. We are thankful for the memories we have and for the many memories she made with those around her. She was the definition of Christlike love and her wish is we and you continue to share that love with those you know. If you feel so inclined, a donation to a missionary fund or the Happy Factory would make her smile.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 11:00 AM in the Old Farm 1st Ward Building, 3575 North Minersville Highway, Enoch, Utah. Viewings will be held Friday evening from 6:30-8:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00-10:30 AM, both at the Ward Building. Burial will be in the Paragonah Utah Cemetery. Services were arranged with Mosdell Mortuary.