Jayne Cleone Weggeland Robbins

Jayne Cleone Weggeland Robbins – 84, passed away peacefully of natural causes with family in her Draper home on September 10, 2019.  She was born to adoring parents, Henry Norman and Martha Cleone Southwick Weggeland on March 8, 1935. At the tender age of 19 she took a chance to go on a blind date with Burtis (Bud) France Robbins Jr. which blossomed into a 65-year love story when they married soon after in the Salt Lake Temple on November 11, 1954. They are the parents of nine children and 19 grandchildren. Jayne is preceded in death by sons, Joseph and Andrew. Jayne is survived by her husband, Bud, their seven children: Juliana (Rodney) Besler, Matthew (Laurie), Mark (Melanie), Rebecca (Alan) Hess, Cynthia, Peter (Sherri), Benjamin (Kim), and brother: Judd (Julie) Weggeland.

Jayne’s most prized possessions were her family and her membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she deeply devoted her entire life to both through selfless service by being in the right place at the right time.  She was generous to a fault and gave her all to every endeavor. Her attitude of life was to include everyone, there was always room for one more and always enough to share. The source of shining light that emanated from Jayne came from her unwavering testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and her love of others.

Jayne had an idyllic childhood living around cousins in Magna, Utah where Norman worked for Kennecott.  At Cleone’s insistence Norman moved the family to the city and purchased a beautiful home on Diestel Road, where Jayne lived until she married. Jayne’s favorite family tradition occurred every Sunday when her father loaded the family in his immaculate Packard car for an afternoon drive that always ended with ice cream.  At age 17, Jayne learned extreme sadness and grief when her beloved father passed away suddenly.  Although Cleone continued employment as a secretary at the University of Utah, Jayne had to step up to help care for her seven-year younger brother, Judd, whom she adored. Jayne began contributing to the family coffers from a collection jobs of babysitting, making popcorn at Nu-Crisp, and pulling taffy, all while earning top grades and staying involved in theatre and Pep Club at East High School. In the moment of her father’s passing, Jayne placed herself in her father’s shoes and forged an immediate loyalty, love and vow to always care and provide for her mother Cleone – a special gift and calling from which she never faltered. This resulted in Grandma Cleone usually living under their same roof and blessing the lives of their children like a third parent.

Jayne moved on to her college days at the U of U and pledged Alpha Chi Omega. Her dear friend Nola Roselle had recently married Don B. Swenson and the newlyweds were anxious to set Jayne up with Don’s boyhood best friend Bud Robbins, who had recently returned from a three-year LDS mission in Japan. Jayne agreed to a first blind date only after she and Nola convinced Don to parade Bud through the U of U bookstore so she could see if he was not only handsome, but more importantly, tall enough! He passed muster and the two hit it off from the beginning. Eight months later Bud and Jayne were married in the Salt Lake Temple on November 11, 1954.

With Bud in the army the newlyweds first home was abroad in Europe for a year. They returned to Logan, Utah to finish studies and then agreed to reside and run the Jeremy Ranch owned by Bud’s father. Jayne suddenly stepped into a new world of babies, home building, horses, guns, camping, and cross-country vacations in station wagons. A life she little expected when she thought she was marrying a future surgeon like his father with a two-story home on South Temple. Jayne always loved to tell how Bud tricked her into marrying him into a life of ups and downs, hard work, and endless fun. Jayne was always the first one to pitch in, try a new thing, and make things work and Bud was always there to do his best to make life as comfortable as he could, usually with his bare hands, knowing she would never give up on him if she had a nice home and a new dress.

Bud built her dream home in 1961 on his family property next to his parents and sisters in East Millcreek in a kind of ‘Camelot’. In this home the glory days of receiving nine children and raising them became Jayne’s number one occupation. Since childhood she had always dreamed of a large family she could teach the gospel, the value of hard work, and how to be a doer wherever you were. One of Jayne’s most admirable qualities was her work ethic and penchant for cleanliness – she slept a little better at night knowing that her children knew how to properly and perfectly clean a toilet. In July 1963 within 24 hours Jayne prematurely gave birth and tragically lost her fourth child, Joseph, and in saving her life lost her ability to ever know pregnancy again. She was devasted and pleaded with the Lord to fulfill her dream of a large family. A year later Jayne and Bud welcomed the first of their five adopted children, Rebecca. Their joy was challenged once more when they lost a second son, Andrew, to illness, and Jayne had to draw upon her faith and courage again.

Beyond supporting Bud and doing ‘bookwork’ for his construction company and keeping her brood of children fed, clothed and praying and reading the scriptures daily, Jayne kept life interesting with projects of her own. Starting a catering and floral design business, throwing dinner parties for their cherished ‘fireside friends’, collecting place settings, glassware and silverware, decorating for every holiday, especially Christmas, and baking hundreds of cookies and making her famous English Toffee. All this, however, was the sideshow to whatever calling she held in her Ward or Stake.  Jayne was a natural organizer, an inspired leader, motivator, and compassionate mentor. She was as comfortable as a member of the support team when serving in the Mutual, Relief Society, directing Road Shows or at Girl’s Camp, but it was when she was in charge that her full range of talents shined. Everyone knew their duty and would rise and go beyond for Jayne.

As the children flew out of the nest one by one, she and Bud sold their family home and his business and began to work for a few commercial construction firms. They were willing to travel, and their home literally became mobile in a fifth wheel trailer throughout the western states. Their crowning project was the journey to Oklahoma to supervise the construction of the Oklahoma City Temple, this highlight of a lifetime was realized in the bringing together their life’s profession with their cherished faith.

It has always been said that Jayne had a special flair. Immaculate grooming, up-to-the-minute-style, dry sense of humor, and easy social skills made Jayne the center of most parties along with the fact that everyone knew she’d be the first person to show up with platters of food and the last person to leave after mopping the floor.

As her twilight retirement years ushered in, she and Bud found joy in doing projects together in ‘grandpa’s shop’, planting and harvesting their garden, and throwing parties for the grandkids. Only major league baseball games could stop everything and get her to slow down.  Much of these final years Jayne’s complicated health continually declined to where she seldom had a day without pain.  Her faithful and patient, Bud, waited on her ‘hand and foot’ until her weary body gave way and she moved on to new adventures. Jayne was not afraid to leave and was prepared and happy to go and see her two sons and parents again. Jayne will forever be missed and longed for but only for a brief instant until we recall and remember how she shaped, influenced and loved us as we are.

Please join us in her life celebration below: Services will be 11 am on Tuesday, September 17, Mountain Point 4^th Ward, 498 E. Hollow Creek (14085 S.) Draper, Utah. Friends may call Monday, September 16, 6-8 pm at the church, and Tuesday 9:30 -10:30 am at the church.

Funeral Service Audio