Ruth Jarvis

Ruth Ellen Johnson Jarvis
October 28, 1952 – September 20, 2026
Heber City, Utah

Ruth Ellen Johnson Jarvis, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, teacher, and friend, passed away peacefully on September 20, 2026, surrounded by family after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Ruth fought until the very end. She faced her illness with remarkable strength and determination, never losing the love for life that defined her. If there was one thing Ruth wanted everyone to know about her, it was simple: She loved life!
Ruth was born on October 28, 1952, in Melrose Park, Illinois, to Robert Joseph Johnson and Jean Mae White Johnson.
Ruth grew up in Illinois with her siblings, Donna, Debra, Joseph, and Robert. She attended Emerson Elementary, Bryan Junior High, and York High School before continuing her education at Ricks College and Brigham Young University. She earned a double major in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education and fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams when she became a kindergarten teacher. Ruth always said she wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, and she loved the children she taught.
Ruth met the love of her life, Kelly Bowers Jarvis, at a young adult picnic activity at Bemis Woods in Illinois. On December 27, 1974, they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Together, they built a beautiful life centered around their faith and their family. They were blessed with six children. Ruth was also the proud grandmother of 20 grandchildren and great-grandmother of one.
Ruth’s greatest calling and joy was being a mother. She embraced motherhood wholeheartedly and considered caring for her family her most important work. She was a wife, mother, grandmother, homemaker, “house manager,” and, as she lovingly called herself, a domestic goddess. She was the kind of mother who wanted to be involved in everything. She loved working on school projects with her children, cooking for her family, taking road trips, hosting Grandma’s Cooking and Crafts, and having epic bake sales. She loved her children and grandchildren immensely and wanted nothing more than to spend time with them.
Ruth had a gift for making people feel loved and welcome. She was kind, gregarious, loving, caring, and welcoming. She never met a stranger she didn't like. Her home and her heart always had room for one more person. She had a wonderful ability to make people feel like family.
Her faith in Jesus Christ was at the center of her life. Ruth joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 1, 1969, and often said it was the moment that changed her whole life. From that day forward, she found great joy in living the gospel and sharing it with others.
Ruth loved being a missionary. She served as a stake missionary after she graduated from college, and she and Kelly later served together as ward missionaries in Heber. She served as a missionary in Mendoza, Argentina, with Kelly from November 2008 through March 2010. She later served again as a ward missionary in the Cobblestone Ward. Ruth loved sharing the gospel and distributed many copies of the Book of Mormon throughout her life. Ruth and Kelly served as service mission leaders for three years over the Heber Valley and Park City area. She loved serving others and helping people feel the love of Jesus Christ.
Throughout her life, Ruth served faithfully in many Church callings, including Primary President, Relief Society President, Young Women President, Stake Primary Presidency, Stake Young Women Presidency, and temple ordinance worker. No matter what calling she had, Ruth approached it with enthusiasm, love, and a genuine desire to help people.
Ruth and Kelly lived in several places throughout their married life, making their first home in Chicago, then moving to West Jordan in 1977, Heber in 1979, Daniel in 1991, and Lake Creek in 2004. Wherever Ruth lived, she made friends, served others, and created a home filled with love and laughter.
Ruth had many hobbies she loved. She enjoyed sewing, embroidery, tole painting, swimming, reading the scriptures, and cooking. She treasured road trips and especially loved spending time at Siesta Key in Florida. Some of her favorite memories were made taking her children and grandchildren to Florida.
Her family is deeply grateful for the life she lived and for the countless ways she taught them to love, serve, laugh, have fun, and treasure one another. Her legacy will live on through her children, grandchildren, great-grandchild, and all those whose lives she touched.
Her family takes comfort in their faith in Jesus Christ and in the knowledge that this separation is not forever. They are grateful for the gospel she loved so deeply and look forward with faith to the day they will see their beloved Ruth again.
Ruth is survived by her husband, Kelly Bowers Jarvis; her six children and their spouses, Kelly Bowers Jarvis Jr., also known as Kasey (Andrea), Elizabeth Jane Jarvis, Katherine Jean Hauser (Coby), Charles Robert Jarvis (Angeline), Alison Jeanette Carlile (Dan), and Rosalee June Lowry (Marshall); 20 grandchildren; one great-grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Joseph Johnson and Jean Mae White Johnson, and her siblings, Donna Jean Naylor, Debra June Peterson, and Robert John Johnson.
Viewings will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 25, 2026, and from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2026. Funeral services will follow at 12:00 p.m. All services will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1661 E 980th S, Heber City, Utah.
We welcome family and friends to join us as we remember, honor, and celebrate Ruth’s life.