Genevieve (Sibbett) Jackson

Genevieve Sibbett Jackson was born on January 24, 1940 in the Afton Hospital in Afton, Wyoming. She was the 4th of six children and the second daughter born to Glenn Sibbett & Nellie Broadbent Sibbett. She was raised on a ranch in Thayne, Wyoming and attended grade school in Thayne. She loved spending time with her two younger brothers and playing on the ranch. Riding horses was a favorite pastime, as was teasing her father and learning to cook from her mother. She could play the piano by ear and loved to pick out songs that she knew on the family’s piano. She also possessed a great talent with speech and drama and took part in numerous plays in high school. She worked in the sales room of the cheese factory in Thayne as a teenager and spent many hours selling cheese and assorted foods to the customers and tourists who flocked to that popular location. In 1958, she graduated from Star Valley High School in Afton, Wyoming. She went on to attend Ricks College where she majored in speech. It was while attending that college that she met her future husband, Tom Jackson. Tom was talented soloist and was featured in the college’s performance of Handel’s Messiah that year, as was one of Genevieve’s roommates, Jean Hood. Jean introduced Tom to Genevieve and it was pretty much love at first sight. They began dating and were eventually married in the Idaho Falls Temple on August 5, 1959.

            Tom wanted to become a pharmacist, and so they made their first home in Pocatello, Idaho where he attended ISU. In 1961, Genevieve gave birth to their oldest child, a girl named Cheri Nel, named after Genevieve’s mother. By the time Tom had graduated from ISU, they were blessed with a second child, a son born in 1964 named Thomas Orson.

            They moved from Pocatello and lived for a short time in Annis, Idaho, and then in Idaho Falls as Tom completed his internship. It was while they were living in Idaho Falls that a second daughter was born in 1966, Heather Ann. Shortly after Heather’s birth, the family moved to a new home they had built in Menan, Idaho. They lived there for several years, and in 1969, a fourth child, Trudi Lyn was born. It was while they lived in Menan that Genevieve continued to expand her talents and she became very good at upholstery work and making cheese. She also began oil painting, a pastime she enjoyed the rest of her life. She taught her children to sing, and she often accompanied her family on the piano when they were asked to perform for various programs.

            In time, Tom wanted to try his hand at running a small drugstore, and so the family moved to Ashton, Idaho. Soon Genevieve was working in that same drugstore as a clerk and enjoyed it immensely.

            Genevieve loved being a mother, and she longed for more children, but her health wouldn’t permit it. So she volunteered to take part in the Native American program that the LDS Church promoted for a time, and soon a young man from South Dakota, John Means, became part of the family.

            In 1979, the family moved again, this time to Montpelier, Idaho where Tom became a hospital pharmacist. Genevieve became a CNA and spent many hours taking care of newborns at the hospital, something she loved. Tom’s health began deteriorating and he died in 1983. Genevieve was a beacon of light to her family as she bravely went on with her life, showing through her example that giving up is not an option. She went back to school in Logan, Utah, and graduated as the Valedictorian of her class at the School of Medical and Dental Technology, becoming a dental assistant in her forties. She worked for numerous years in Logan in a dental office, and then in Salt Lake City, and loved it.

            Genevieve also loved being a grandmother and spoiled her grandchildren greatly. She was always teaching them about arts and crafts and taking them on fun adventures to places like the small zoo at Willow Park in Logan, Utah.

            Her health began to decline in her later years, and she was forced to retire. She and her youngest daughter bought a home together in Clinton, Utah where she spent time growing beautiful flowers and raising a garden and fruit trees.

            Eventually, she moved to Montpelier, Idaho, near her daughter, Cheri, and began a new chapter in her life. She lived in the Aspenwood Apartments and spent many hours visiting and getting acquainted with the residents who became cherished friends.

            Genevieve was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held numerous callings throughout her life, including Sunday School teacher, Primary President, Primary chorister, Relief Society Activity Leader, ward missionary, visiting teaching coordinator, and visiting teacher.

            In 2022, she suffered yet another stroke, and was moved to a Memory Care facility located near her daughter, Heather in Taylorsville, Utah. Genevieve passed away on February 5, 2023 surrounded by loved ones. She is survived by two brothers, Ben Sibbett (Judy) & Clayton Sibbett (Benji), her four children: Cheri (Kennon) Crane, Tom (Shar) Jackson, Heather (Lon) Littell, & Trudi (John) Allison, plus 10 grandchildren and their varied spouses, and 10 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by 2 brothers, 1 sister, both parents, and her husband. Her funeral will be held in the Bennington church at 11:00 a.m. on February 10, with a viewing beforehand at 10:00 a.m. Her interment will take place the next day in Lewisville, Idaho.

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