Dolores Huff

Dolores Fay Drechsel Huff, beloved mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother finished her journey here on earth peacefully on August 1st 2023 in St. George Utah. She was 86 years old. She was born Feb 6th, 1937 to Erna Aderhold and Gerhardt Drechsel in Salt Lake City Utah.  She was the eldest of 4 daughters.  

Dolores’ great loves were her family, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and teaching.  Music was the thread of tapestry that wound around and bound these loves through her life.  

Her first introduction to music was taking piano and then leading the ward choir when she was 16 years old.  In high school she found her love for singing when she was cast as the lead in the school musical at West High School in Salt Lake City.  She entered Brigham Young University as a nursing student, but quickly found the returned missionary she had been looking for in Edward Huff when she went out on a “DEAR” hunt. 

Dolores married her ‘dear’ Edward Curtis Huff, June 3, 1957, in the Salt Lake Temple, and began her most desired role as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She is the mother of 2 sons and 5 daughters: Cynthia (Richard) Patterson, Lisa (Myles) Bouwhuis, Curtis (Kimberly) Huff, Rebecca Schmidt, Stephanie (David) Miess, Rachel (Steven) Marshall, and David (Rozanne) Huff, and proud grandmother of 28 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.  

Dolores was a voracious learner.  She loved to read and learn.  She loved a good biography, especially having to do with the history of the church. She was sharp, determined, and capable until her last days.  

It was this love of learning that made Dolores a passionate teacher.  She loved teaching children and the excitement of their minds. She took her capability in music and became a skilled piano teacher while raising her family.  Later, as she developed as a singer, she began teaching voice lessons.  In 1972 she was given the opportunity to study voice with Spencer J. Condie and auditioned for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  She sang with the Choir for 20 years, traveling the world singing the songs of the restoration, being a missionary with her heart and her voice.  

During this time, she also started teaching music at The Carden School in Salt Lake City where she pioneered a music program and began a very successful and notable Boys’ Choir.  She gave private piano and voice lessons for most of her life.  She touched so many individual lives as a teacher, all could feel her love, her passion, and her testimony. 

Being the avid learner she was, she was determined to receive her degree so after raising her 7 children and encouraging their university studies, she returned to college and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music in 1992.  

As a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she loved and supported sharing the gospel with everyone, even up until her last days. She ardently supported missionary work by preparing her children for their own missionary service.  Later in her life she got the opportunity to serve a mission with Edward to the El Salvador, San Salvador West Mission where she shared her musical talents again.  They were called to create a beginning piano course and teach all over the mission.  She also personally arranged a simplified Spanish Children’s Songbook for piano that is still used by the Church in the Central American countries.

After the completion of their music mission, Ed and Dolores accepted another mission to serve as ordinance workers in the Salt Lake Temple and spent many years of joyful service together. Dolores loved serving in the Salt Lake Temple. She counted those years as sacred and had a special love for the work and the workers there.

Dolores’ love for the gospel was unwavering.  She always served in her callings with diligence and inspiration. She served in every calling in the church but always found her way back to Choir director.  There was never a better choir director!  She served as the choir director in the Morningside 2nd ward until just a few months before her death. She loved to get people to sing – often saying “if you can speak you can sing” and she could get anyone to sing – even our dad, who always attended her choir.  She loved the hymns of the church and knew all of them by heart. You could always hear her powerful and beautiful soprano voice in every congregation. 

Most of all Dolores was a dedicated mother.  It was that calling that she took most seriously.  She always wanted to be a mother and was blessed with a house full of children.   She thought we were ‘the best kids ever’ (true or not) – we will forever feel her love for us. Our angel mother will be greatly missed. 

Dolores is survived by her 7 children their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and her sisters, Sandie (Larry) Winkelkotter and Janet (Helmut) Wenzel. She is preceded in death by her husband Edward; her parents Gerhardt and Erna Drechsel; her sister, LaRue (Al) Rencher; and her grandson Dallin Huff.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday August 5th 2023 at 1:00pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 912 South 1740 East, St. George, Utah
Arrangements are made under the direction of Hughes Mortuary, 1037 East 700 S. St. George, Utah, (435) 674-5000.