Lottie P. Felkner

Lottie LaVell Prock Felkner (6/18/1926 to 7/8/2020), the daughter of Marion and Minta Ann Prock, was the last surviving child of eight siblings. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, William Shadrack Felkner, who passed away in 2012. She is survived by her son, Gary (RaeLene) Felkner, her daughter, Marilyn Felkner, two granddaughters, and three great-grandchildren.

Lottie was born on June 18, 1926, in Manes Missouri. She was the sixth of eight children and attended grade school in a one-room schoolhouse. She attended high school in Mountain Grove Missouri, which required a daily, twenty-six mile bus ride. She was quite precocious and graduated from high school just before her seventeenth birthday. At the time, World War II was raging, and Lottie wanted to help. She traveled to San Diego where she worked as a civilian typist for the US Navy.

Following the war, Lottie attended the St. Mark’s School of Nursing in Salt Lake City and graduated in 1948. She married William S. Felkner in Ogden on January 5, 1949. Lottie worked as an RN at various Wasatch Front hospitals and at McKay-Dee in Ogden. She graduated from the U of U with a master’s degree in Psychiatric Nursing and established the very first psych ward at Holy Cross Hospital.

She later helped start a two-year nursing program at the BYU extension center in Salt Lake City. In 1968 she moved the St. Mark’s School of Nursing (Diploma) program from St. Mark’s Hospital (then located at 300 West 700 North) to the Westminster College campus, extending it to a four-year program, which carried the honorary title of “St. Mark’s Hospital School of Baccalaureate Nursing.”

As a way to honor both the school at St. Mark’s Hospital and to embrace the possibilities awaiting graduates from the new Westminster program, Lottie wrote a book that detailed the school from its inception in 1894 until 1970, the year it moved to Westminster. The title of the book is St. Mark’s School of Nursing Story, and proceeds from the sale of the book were used to assist student nurses.

Always trying to enhance the nursing school curriculum, at one point Lottie expanded the program to include real life experiences in Public Health nursing. As a result of her efforts, her students traveled to the Navajo reservation where they assisted in conducting clinics.

Lottie retired from Westminster College in 1991 with an honorary doctorate. After her “retirement” she continued working as an administrative RN in various care facilities and clinics in the Salt Lake area until 2009.

Lottie adored her two granddaughters, Tanya and Trisha, and enjoyed sewing, quilting, gardening, writing, and was also a passionate pianist. She loved to travel with Bill at her side. Their two children were also avid travelers and went on many family road trips, taking in the sights in locations all over the western states. She was a member of First Congregational Church. Lottie was a member of Lynn’s Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and was very supportive of her husband, Bill, in his various activities with Wasatch Lodge #1 and El Kalah Shrine.

The family wishes to express their heart-felt gratitude to the staff of Sunrise at Holladay for their many years of dedication and love in caring for Lottie as she progressed through the various stages of Alzheimer’s.

The family is grateful to Bristol Hospice whose staff worked valiantly to help Lottie transition through the final stages of her life. Their efforts were thwarted at times by Covid-19 restrictions, yet they continued to find ways to reach out to serve her needs.

If you would like to do so, please make a donation to the Lottie Felkner Scholarship Fund, in care of Westminster College. Your donation makes it possible for students to pursue their dream of becoming tomorrow’s nurses.

Please join us at Lottie’s graveside services to be held at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 1342 East 500 South, at 10:00am on Monday, July 13th. Please wear a mask and social distance.

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”