"BJ" (Barbara Jean) Provost

BJ (Barbara Jean) Provost died of severe sepsis and organ failure on Sunday, April 15, 2018. She fought a long, hard physical battle with both dignity and grace. She is now free from her ailments and can see all the beauty she missed due to her blindness for so many years. BJ was born to Mildred and Jack Boyles in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 24, 1943. She was the second of four children of the Boyles clan. She attended the University of Tennessee before moving to Utah in 1964 with her girlfriends when she was 21 years old. She began dating the love of her life, Bill (William Robert) not long after her move, and they were married for time and all eternity on November 18, 1966, in the Salt Lake City Temple. They had 52 loving and adventure-filled years together. Bill was drafted into the U.S. Army early in their marriage, and while he was gone, BJ gave birth to their first daughter. When Bill returned from his service in Vietnam, they lived in Kansas at Fort Riley for 6 months before returning to Utah. They made their home in Granger (West Valley), Utah, where they raised their 5 children. BJ started her dedication to childcare in 1979 when she began caring for and loving more children than can be counted. Each of "BJ's Darlings" was loved individually and they knew of the special place each held in her heart. Many, many times BJ watched over these special kids for free just to lend a hand to a struggling parent or to give help in an emergency. She helped countless amazing kids grow into amazing adults and has a legacy of love all over West Valley and further beyond. BJ always lead with her heart and never judged a single soul. She was the epitome of compassion and of non-judgment, which is the legacy she passed on to each who was lucky enough to know her. She had many talents beyond her ability to care for and to love all children. She was an amazing ceramics artist, a talent that was known by many. She never kept many of her pieces as she gave them away to anyone who admired them. She created countless gifts of her work in both a service capacity and for gifts "just because." In her later years, she began scrapbooking and with this talent created countless scrapbooks for her kids and grandbabies; these will be treasured forever. Additionally, she always added her special touch to each and every birthday and holiday card sent which she decorated with stickers and letters. All cards were signed with "We love you the most" and every one of the family knew she meant it. BJ was a walking "phone book" and could remember every phone number and address. She was extremely intelligent in both math and English, and was the best one to shop with because she could figure out a sale price in a split second. She had an amazing sense of humor and was funny beyond measure. She loved all of her children's spouses and always made sure that they had their favorite foods when visiting the house. Whether it be "hash brown pee-tatoes," plenty of diet Coke or diet Pepsi, or just a stash of "sandwich cookies" the spouses knew of BJ's love for them. BJ's long-time dream of becoming a Nana finally happened in 2001. Each year for the following 7 years, she and Papa got a new gift of a grandchild to spoil and love, with the last arriving in 2012. Her grandchildren knew of her unconditional devotion and each have sweet individual memories of time with just her because she made each one feel special. Playing with her amazing buckets upon buckets of GeoTrax was one of their favorite pastimes. Additionally, she made special foods for each one, along with having special cups and plates for them. It never mattered how big they grew; she always let them snuggle up to her or lay on her belly for a hug. Nana loved her family, loved having her family gather at the house, loved spending time with Todd and Kathy at their cabin, and loved going for rides with Papa. Her favorite singer, Neil Diamond and most recently the music of the Piano Guys, always brought a smile to her face. She so loved her trips with Papa to Florida, and she loved walking the beach with her forever sweetheart. Disney World was her favorite place to visit, and Minnie Mouse decorated most of her sweatshirts and hats. BJ is survived by her most special partner, her husband, her best friend, and her most excellent care-taker, Bill; her children, Jill (Jud), Todd (Kathy), Suzy (Marshall), Karen (Tom), and Ashlee (Doug); her grandchildren, Ethan, Tate, Savannah, Max, Jonah, Mitch, Corbin, and Enzlee. She is also survived by her siblings, Mickey (Carla), Rita (Al), and Joe (Pat) and was preceded in death by her parents, Mildred and Jack Boyles. Funeral services in her honor, will be held Saturday, April 21, 2018, 11:00 a.m. at the Jordan North 6th ward, 4100 So. Bangerter Highway. Viewings will be held Friday, April 20th, 6-8:00 p.m. at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 S. Redwood Road and again Saturday at the church 10-10:45 a.m. Interment, Valley View Memorial Park. The family would like to extend their thanks and gratitude to the amazing medical staff at Jordan Valley Hospital (formally Pioneer Hospital) for the tender care provided to mom in her last days. Jason and the nursing staff were so supportive of both mom and dad during this difficult time. Additional thanks to family and friends who both visited and provided loving support in many ways. Thank you for your tender mercies. Place of Birth:Charlotte, North CarolinaPlace of Death:West Valley City, Utah