Erma Kunzler

Funeral Recording

Erma Adams Kunzler died peacefully in her home on January 9, 2020 surrounded by all her children.  She was born April 5, 1928 to Alfred Franklin Adams and Sarah Ellen Brown Adams in Spring Canyon, Utah. Her life was built upon the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ that were taught and lived by her parents and cherished by her posterity.

When Erma attended her first day of junior high she had an experience that strengthened her young faith. There was an announcement that there would be an assembly the next day. All students who were nominated as candidates for school offices would give talks at the assembly. Anxious over this possibility, Erma rushed home. She knelt and prayed. She said “As I poured out my heart to the Lord, a quiet peace came over me. I stood, and it surrounded me. The words, ‘Forget self, serve others’ came into my mind.  My first thought was that Heavenly Father heard my prayer and that He answered it.” She felt a closeness to the Lord as she walked calmly back to school and was able to present her talk.  This was faith building and through her life she felt led and directed.

Erma graduated from Weber State with an Associate Degree in Speech Arts and was chosen as the Friendliest Girl. She then attended BYU where she served as General President of the Women’s Lambda Delta Sigma. She graduated from BYU with a Baccalaureate Degree in Early Childhood Education and Speech Arts. While teaching in Salt Lake School District, she helped write a manual for the Sunday School General Board. Erma also taught kindergarten at Cottonwood Heights Elementary.

Erma married Hyrum Grant Kunzler on September 26, 1952 in the Salt Lake Temple. A well-known quote by Robert Browning reflects their love for each other: “Grow old along with me!, The best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made...”

They began their eternal family and established homes of love and gathering in Lehi and later Cottonwood Heights, Utah. One of their favorite past times was to water their carefully selected trees and tams in their yard, sit in their hammock swings and watch the things they nurtured grow.

She served as a member of the Primary General Board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1969-1974). Erma and Grant served a full-time mission in the Lisbon Portugal South Mission (1990-1992). She loved serving in every auxiliary and often said, “Service brings maximum joy in this life.”

Mom and Dad helped establish righteous family traditions, including purchasing scriptures for baptisms, buying temple clothes, providing support on missions, and monthly Kunzler Family Nights.

Our Mother saw beauty, wonder, and potential in everything and everyone from single blades of grass, to hatching chicks in her Kindergarten classroom, to each person she met (from newborn to ninety-nine).  She quietly nurtured and inspired her posterity and each person with whom she came in contact.

Her posterity will always remember her through important principles that she taught including these oft-repeated phrases:  “Remember our love for each other is more important than anything else”; “Act, don’t react”; “Think of ways to help and support – no negative thoughts or words”; “Assume others are doing  the very best they can within the framework they are working (otherwise you are judging and you have no correct insight for that)”; “First seek to understand rather than to be understood”; “Forgive and forget  (cultivate that as a mindset – it saves a lot of frustration)”; “Make it a great day, do your best work, keep all the teachings and commandments, and above all else remember: WE LOVE YOU and We are praying for you.”; “Don’t let things that matters most fall to the mercy of things that matter least”; “Obedience brings happiness.” She ended each card or communication with “Love eternally, Mother.”

We celebrate the reunion of Mother with Dad, her parents, and siblings: Glenn, Dorothy Wadley, Reed, Josephine Schlattmann, Frank, Fred, Leo; and daughter-in-law, Karen Anderson Kunzler.

She is survived by her sister-in-law Ella Lou Adams and her posterity that loves her dearly:  Kathryn and Scott Morgan; Heather Morgan; Cari and Mike Nehren and their children Kayla, Kai, Mason, Hailey; Matt and Megan Morgan and their children Noah, Henri, Charlie, Harry; Josh and Kirsten Morgan, Kristine and Michael Bradshaw; Jared and Katie Bradshaw and their children Weston and Abbie; Jon and Jaelyn Bradshaw and their children Tanner and Colton; Paul and Kaitlin Bradshaw; Richard and Alisha Bradshaw and their son, Fisher,  SaraEllen and Joseph Turner; JoyEllen and Steven Arnold and their children Sierra, Emily, Ellen, Julia, Levi, Luke, Sadie; Hilarie and Evan Cook and their children Allie, Arianna, Adeline, Ian, Eli; Amanda and Mark Crockett and their children Caroline Erma, Hannah, Lorelei, Amy; Adam and Daniela Turner and their son, David; Nathan and Cassie Turner and their children William, Kaitlyn, Matson; Jesse and Vanessa Turner and their son, Raymond; Jarrett Turner, Hyrum Grant (HG) and Heidi Kunzler and their children Kristi, Kim, Brittney, Brandon, Justin, Matthew, and Hyrum.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 18th, at noon, in the Brighton 5th Ward Chapel, 2301 East Bengal Blvd. Friends may call Friday, 6-8 pm and Saturday from 10:30-11:30 am at the same location. Interment will be at the Mountain View Memorial Estates.

Mother, We love you eternally!