Obituary of Julene Evans Fisher

Our beloved Julene Evans Fisher died on January 7th, 2021. She was the best among us: brave in the face of adversity, strong in the face of pain, loving beyond measure. She was a teacher at heart, and we are all better for, and will never forget, her example. Julene faced death when she was 23, she saw the calm, beautiful light of death, and returned. That beautiful experience shaped the rest of her life. Her spirituality grew into her greatest strength. Julene Evans was born on December 26th, 1946, the second child of Norma Tree and Rawlin J. Evans. Her older brother, Rawlin Albert, was her protector from birth, as she was for her younger sister, JoNell. Julene worked hard to achieve a Bachelor’s degree from the Church College of Hawaii and a Master’s degree from the University of Utah. She opened her heart to the people of Peru while on a mission there in 1973-74. Julene returned from Peru with beautiful memories and stories. She started her career as a teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL). Her respect for immigrants and their struggle for life and liberty informed her teaching and life. When Julene's body no longer allowed her to teach in a classroom, she taught through a column in the Salt Lake Tribune, titled Easy Speak. It was a well written and researched grammar tutorial, that Julene brought to life in an imaginative, informative, inclusive, ingenuous way. Julene’s third career was in mediation. She loved her work for Utah Dispute Resolution and volunteered in Salt Lake City and Taylorsville small claims courts. She met the love of her life, David Calvert Fisher, when she was thirty-three years old. They married four months later on March 7, 1980. David brought two beautiful young daughters into their marriage, Julie and Sara. They, in turn, each had a daughter, Rebecca and Hailey, giving Julene and David two lovely granddaughters. David also brought his love of flying into the marriage. They created beautiful memories of landing at small air strips, sleeping under the wing of their plane, or arranging to stay at a little bed and breakfast. Julene and David created an indoor and outdoor retreat for friends, family, strangers, birds, and even deer, to enjoy. They faithfully tended to a garden of saffron, that multiplied into tens of thousands of flowers, which they generously shared with others. Julene lovingly cared for animals, from her own horses and cats, to animals around the world who needed better human stewardship. She had great respect for the intelligence of other species. One of Julene’s favorite quotes was from the movie, Camelot. When everything seemed lost, King Arthur met a young boy who carried the promise of Camelot in his heart. Arthur realized that, among the millions of grains of sand on the shore, there are some that sparkle. Julene was our sparkle.