Ada Durfey Mecham was born in Bicknell, Utah, Jan. 2, 1912, and died Aug. 25, 2008.


The fifth of 11 children, she was the daughter of George and Theresa Liston Durfey. Her childhood was spent in Bicknell in the winter with summers at her father’s ranch at Notom that is still in the family. As a child, she remembered the author Zane Grey staying at Notom as he wrote several of his books, using the area as the setting. High school for Ada was filled with leading rolls in the school musicals, going to dances, watching her brothers play basketball and learning everything possible from her favorite teacher, Mr. Brinkerhoff, who taught science. However, she was most proud of was getting her LDS seminary diploma and pin.


Ada attended Dixie College in St. George and graduated with a teaching diploma from BYU. Her first teaching position was in Grover, Utah, where she taught eight grades in a one-room schoolhouse.


At age 21, Clive Mecham, her brother’s friend, saw her at a dance when she was 14 years old and decided, unbeknownst to her, that he would marry her when she grew up. Unfortunately, with the Depression, money was non-existent for ranchers and married women couldn’t teach, thus delaying his plan. After postponing marriage for several years, they finally eloped, keeping their marriage quiet for almost a year while she continued to teach. By that time, the ban was lifted and Ada moved to Hanksville, Utah, where she taught for a few more years, adding a son, Raphael, to the family.


Clive and Ada bought a ranch in Aspen, Colo. While they had several ranches in Aspen over the years, they had the same summer range above Aspen with winter range in Utah for the next 40 years. No longer needing to teach, Ada became the ultimate sportswoman: skiing every day all winter and riding her horse, a buckskin name Goldie, all summer. They added two more children to the family, Josephine and Dale. She would put Dale on the front of her saddle and Josephine on the back and lead a pack string all day long.


Loving classical music and musicals of every kind, she attended all of the concerts at the Aspen Music Festival every summer, making sure each of her children spent hours taking music lessons. She also loved to golf, fish, bicycle, water ski and swim, spending countless hours at each. She was in her 80s the time she went skiing and was very pleased when they let her in free.


Ada was the ultimate grandmother, loving each of her seven grandchildren. She was never too busy to watch them. When her grandson Scott excelled in basketball, she never failed to mention that it was because of the hours she spent shooting baskets with him. She also spent countless hours skating with her granddaughters.
A life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she and her beloved husband Clive were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. Her favorite callings were in the Primary. In addition to Clive, who died four years ago, she was preceded in death by her son, Dale, three sisters and six brothers.


She is survived by her son Raphael (Shari); her daughter Josephine (Rodney L.) Crosby; five grandsons; two granddaughters; 10 great-grandchildren; a brother; two sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews.


Services will be at noon Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008, at the LDS Church in Cowley, with burial following in the Cowley Cemetery.