Esther Fay Koyle Hymas Galbraith

BURLEY - Esther Fay Koyle Hymas Galbraith , passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, just shortly after celebrating her 90th birthday.

Esther was born a twin, the first child of Ross Fielding and Emma Fay Jolley Koyle, on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1924, in Burley, Idaho. Esther attended school her first eight years in the one- room Hazel School at Willow Creek. Her’s was the last class to graduate from the Hazel School. It was an overwhelming experience for her to attend Burley High School since it was a much larger school. While attending high school, she made weekly purchases of war stamps from the post office, delivered them to the high school, and deposited them at the Idaho Bank & Trust Company.

She grew up on a ranch in Willow Creek where she loved teasing and mocking the animals with her brothers. She had many responsibilities, being her mother’s oldest daughter and the oldest of ten children. She would rise at 5 a.m. to help with breakfast by 6 a.m., often cooking for large groups of men who had come to help with the grain threshing. In high school, she took a bookkeeping class that worked into a job at the Van Engelen Department Store. After graduating, she was working at the R.E.A. office in Malta when her mother had the last of her ten children and three weeks later passed away. Esther was 19 years old and had to move home to keep house and help her father with the new baby and the other eight children. She loved and cared for that baby like a mother.

On June 29, 1945, Esther and Floyd Hymas were married in the Logan Utah LDS Temple. They moved to the View area where Floyd farmed and milked cows. Four of their children were born while living there. They later moved to another farm east of Heyburn where their fourth daughter and youngest son were born. Floyd and Esther later divorced.

She served valiantly in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all her life. She enjoyed family history work, and crocheting afghans for each of her children and grandchildren. She loved tending her flowers - especially roses.

She later married Dorald John Galbraith on Feb. 21, 1975. Together, they served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Utah Salt Lake South Mission. They enjoyed 25 years together. Dorald passed away on Nov. 2, 2000.

Esther loved attending the temple and working at the LDS Family History Center. She was blessed to live a rich, independent, healthy life, not having to be dependent on others.

She is survived by her children, Kathaleen (Blair) Braegger, Gwendolyn (Cloyd) Searle, and Carvel (Dawn) Hymas all of Burley, Regena (Ross) Northover of Kirkland, Wash., Merle (Tracy) Hymas of Gladstone, Ore., and Camellia (Tim) Morley of West Jordon, Utah; her stepchildren, Darline Burke, Gloria Packer, Blair Galbraith, David Galbriath, and Brian Galbraith; 30 grandchildren; 60 great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; her siblings, Ross Milton (Janice) Koyle of Pocatello, Melba Jean (Elden) Lind of Declo, Orland Koyle of Burley, Rulon (Karen) Koyle of Almo, Karen (Paul) Searle of Burley, and Ranaye (Marvin) Winfrey of Kearns, Utah; and four sisters-in-law, Sharon Koyle of Burley, Charlene Koyle of Rupert, Arlene B. Koyle of Heyburn, and Christine Koyle of Gooding.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her spouses; her brothers, Lester, John, George, LaVon, and Paul Koyle; three sisters-in-law, Eva Koyle, Margaret Koyle, and Dorothy Koyle; and by one granddaughter, Pennie Jo Braegger.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 2, at the Burley LDS West Stake Center, 2420 Parke Ave., in Burley, with Bishop M. Terry Jeppson officiating. Burial will be in the Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley.

Friends may call from 5 until 7 p.m. Sunday, June 1, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home of Burley, 1350 E. 16th St., and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Monday at the church.