Barbara Luke

BURLEY – Barbara Gambles Luke, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on May 21, 2022. As a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she leaves a legacy of love to a posterity over 140 and growing.

Barbara was born in Swan Lake, Idaho, to George Roscoe and Thelma Brim Gambles on January 25, 1927. She was the second oldest of eight children and with that came many responsibilities at a very young age. When she was 11, she took care of five younger siblings while her mother was hospitalized, including cooking, cleaning, baking bread, and washing clothes in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing.

Growing up in a close family taught Barbara the values of a strong work ethic, loyalty, and love among family members. She had a happy childhood with brothers who playfully teased her, sisters she adored, and parents who faithfully led their family. Barbara wrote, “We did not have much in the way of material things, but we had a lot of love in our family.”

Not only was she surrounded by a loving family, she also had a gift for making friends. She has developed and maintained many life-long friendships.

After graduating from Downy High School, she left the small town of Swan Lake and moved to the big city of Salt Lake, where she worked at the State Capital Building. In 1946, she moved to Provo, Utah, and began attending Brigham Young University where she met the love of her life, Harold (Hal) Wilson Luke. She had many suitors, but Hal swept her off her feet, and they were married in the Logan Utah Temple, July 16, 1948.

After a few years of marriage, Hal built their home in Burley, Idaho, where they raised their five children. Barbara’s greatest joys were being a wife and mother and creating and keeping a beautiful home. Her home was always welcoming. She loved baking, gardening, and sewing. She was thrifty and did much with little.

Barbara loved the Lord and served in various callings in Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society. She served in the Logan Utah Temple and a mission with her sweetheart in Morristown, New Jersey. She had the privilege of transcribing patriarchal blessings for 24 years while Hal served as Patriarch. She volunteered her time in service to the community. She served as the county chairman for the Mothers’ March of Dimes.

We will all miss her quick wit, her uncanny ability to remember people, events, and dates, including all of her posterity and their birth dates. She paid great attention to detail. She was loved by many friends, family, and ward members because she took a personal interest in each one.

Barbara is survived by Hal, her husband of 74 years; her children and their spouses, Cathryn and Terry Garner, Brenda and Bruce Pittard, Kevin and Robyn Luke, Steven and Melody-Ann Luke, and Diane and Chris Crockett; 30 grandchildren; and 82 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Lois (Bob) Hess; sisters-in-law, Hazel, Betty, and Camille Gambles; a stepsister, Iris Kay (Larry) Young; and “adopted” couple, Jay and Kiersten Devashrayee.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Theron, Harry, Milton, Phil, and Paul Gambles; sister, Marilyn Child; and great-grandson, Austin Terry Garner. What a reunion!

Family and friends will be received from 5 until 7 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th Street, in Burley.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 28, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Burley Stake Center, located at 2050 Normal Ave., in Burley, where a viewing will be held from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Bishop Jacob Goedhart, of the Burley 9th Ward, will officiate.

Burial will be on Tuesday, May 31, at Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley.

A live webcast of the Funeral Service will be available and maintained at the following link: https://youtu.be/IWG6430ffUk.