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Keynote Speakers

Donald W. Parry

Donald W. Parry is a professor of the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Brigham Young University, and holds the Abraham O. Smoot Professorship. Parry has authored or edited more than forty books and written more than one-hundred articles, which have appeared in encyclopedias, various journals, conference proceedings, Festschriften, and other venues. While most of his books are directed to the academic community—scholars, universities, and libraries—many are written for the Latter-day Saint community. Two of his most recent books are Angels: Agents of Love, Light, and Power and 175 Temple Symbols and Their Meanings.

Parry has been a member of the International Team of Translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls since 1994; he also serves as a member of the board of directors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation.  

Most significantly, Don is married to Camille, his college sweetheart. They have six children. He enjoys activities and outings with his family.

Keynote Address:
Friday at 9:30 – Angels: Agents of Love, Light, and Power


Workshop:
Friday 11:00am Room WCP
Angels: Agents of Love, Light, and Power
*This is a continuation from the keynote address given earlier.

Calvin R. Stephens photo
Calvin R. Stephens

​Calvin R. Stephens retired from teaching for the Church Educational System in 2007 after 37 years. He worked as an instructor in the seminary program, at the Ogden LDS Institute of Religion, and 12 years as a writer and manager for College Curriculum and an instructor at the BYU Jerusalem Center. Brother Stephens graduated from Weber State College and Brigham Young University. He was released from the Church Materials and Evaluation Committee in December 2022. He has served as a mission president, first counselor in a stake presidency, and bishop. He is currently serving as a sealer in the Ogden Temple. Brother Stephens’ father died one month after he and his twin brother turned 4 years old. His mother was left with four small children to raise, aged 1-4 years old. The family moved from Enterprise to Morgan, Utah, where Brother Stephens has lived all his life. He is married to the former Lynette Davis, and they are the parents of 4 children and 9 grandchildren.

Keynote Address –
Friday at 5:00pm

Dr. Matt Townsend

For more than two decades, Dr. Matt Townsend has been energizing and educating audiences with his unique lessons on life, love, and leadership. Known as one of America’s top presenters in the field of Human Relations and Development, Matt blends humor and storytelling with his real-life solutions to inspire and motivate healthier living.  

Matt completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field of communication with an emphasis in conflict resolution. He then earned a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in the field of Human and Organizational Systems. Before building his own coaching practice, Matt spent 7 years as a consultant and presenter for Franklin Covey Co. and worked as a mediator for companies and couples.   

Matt can be seen weekly on KSL Television’s Studio 5 with Brooke Walker. His book Starved Stuff: Feeding The 7 Basic Needs of Healthy Relationships is a popular pick among those searching for better relationship skills and can be found on Amazon, and on his website at MattTownsend.com. He also has online workshops about Marriage, Parenting and Anxiety and coaches individuals and couples on these issues.   

Married for 32 years, Matt’s greatest love in life is his wife Mardi. They are the parents of 6 children: one girl and 5 boys, one son-in-law, three new daughters-in-law and 5 grandchildren.

Keynote Address:
Saturday 5:00pm

Workshop Presenters

Workshop PresenterS

Kent Allen

Kent Allen is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in the Ogden, Utah area.  He has been married to his wife Susan for 43 years. They have 3 wonderful children and 9 grandchildren whom they love and adore. Kent has served in numerous callings in the church and for 17 years has served as a mental health advisor to the Missionary Department. For the last 12 years he has been the director over the early release missionaries in the US and Canada. He has been in private practice for 28 years and has seen thousands of individuals dealing with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. He has been involved in helping individuals through the grieving process for over 29 years. He has been helping and presenting at the Latter-day Saint Widows & Widowers conferences since their conception over 13 years ago. He has spoken numerous times around the Western United States to groups involved in grieving.

PRESENTATION TIMES AND TITLES:

All his classes are being held in: Room EMP

Friday 11:00am- The Grieving Process 101
Friday 12:00pm-
Complicated Grief
Friday 2:30pm-
Making New Friends
Friday 3:30pm-
Thriving, Not Just Surviving
Saturday 11:00pm-
The Grieving Process 101
Saturday 12:00pm-
Kids and Grief
Saturday 2:30pm-
Red Flags of Dating
Saturday 3:30pm-
Finding Joy on Your Own

Georgia Allred

Georgia is a speaker, wellness coach and grief retreat producer who has a passion for providing tools & techniques that help others heal their grief, mend their hearts, and increase their capacity for joy.  Since losing her husband, David, to cancer 14 years ago and leaving an abusive second marriage, Georgia has dedicated her life to furthering her education and healing. She consistently works with coaches, trainers and counselors. As a certified coach herself, she has been assisting clients for the past 8 years. In 2020, she completed her degree in Marriage & Family Studies. Working as a Children’s Advocate at a crisis center, and helping her children fight their own battles has given her a unique perspective on suffering and resilience. Georgia is a singer, dancer, mother, and best friend.  She’s always up for an adventure and enjoys nothing more than being with the people she loves… and she loves a lot of people!

PRESENTATION TIME, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Saturday 11:00am and 12:00pm – Room W206

Marriage is Ordained of God. So Now What?
**Joint presentation with Jared Belcher

Description: In the wake of losing your spouse there is so much to consider.  It’s easy to want to work to “fill the void” as quickly as possible, but is there more to it than that? Georgia and Jared have both been widowed, remarried and divorced. They, with the help of another remarried couple, are here to share their personal insights and psychological perspectives on navigating relationships, dating and marriage after widowhood.

Byron Bair

Brother Bair is a professor of Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine and is the Director of the Rural Health Resource Center for the VA Office of Rural Health in Washington, DC. He is a father of six and grandfather of 22. His wife of 29.99 years passed away from cancer in 2008. He currently serves as the Elders Quorum President in his ward in Centerville, UT.

PRESENTATION TIME AND TITLE:

Friday 11:00am – Room E217

Where is My Miracle

Jared Belcher


Jared Belcher is a Utah native. After high school he spent 2 years in southeast Texas as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He then moved to Connecticut for a short time, where he met Janelle.

Raising their 3 children in West Jordan, Jared was very involved in local government, politics and the community serving as a delegate, on political committees and even running for local and state office. He is on the Board of Directors for WW Ministering Angels, and previously served on the Board for West Jordan Youth Soccer. Jared works full time as an IT Professional and loves finding technical solutions for local businesses that he works with. 

Jared was widowed with 3 children,10 and under, after a mountain biking accident left Janelle in a coma and ultimately took her life in 2018.


PRESENTATION TIME, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Saturday 11:00am and 12:00pm – Room W206

Marriage is Ordained of God. So Now What?
**Joint Presentation with Georgia Allred.

Description: In the wake of losing your spouse there is so much to consider.  It’s easy to want to work to “fill the void” as quickly as possible, but is there more to it than that? Georgia and Jared have both been widowed, remarried and divorced. They, with the help of another remarried couple, are here to share their personal insights and psychological perspectives on navigating relationships, dating and marriage after widowhood.

Jason Clawson

Jason Clawson- Widower, Father, Therapist, Friend. A man whose life has been marked by both unimaginable loss and miraculous blessings. Jason faced one of the toughest challenges anyone can face when he lost his beloved wife Valerie to stage 4 colon cancer, leaving him to grieve with his two young boys.

In the depths of his grief, Jason found a way to heal by helping others. He started a non-profit and business called “Hope Kit”, which provides Hope Kits to those who need them the most, offering comfort and support to those going through their own hardships.

As a therapist with over 15 years of experience working with individuals facing life-altering events, grief, trauma, and mental illness, Jason has a unique perspective on the power of resilience and the human spirit. He believes in the importance of following God’s path and has dedicated himself to bringing joy and hope to those who need it most.

Despite the challenges he has faced, Jason’s story is one of hope and miracles. He found love again and remarried, and less than a year later, he and his wife Kirsten were blessed with a miracle child, something they were told was impossible.

Through it all, Jason’s faith has been his guiding light, helping him find purpose in the midst of tragedy and bringing him closer to the tender mercies and miracles that are all around us. His story is an inspiration to anyone who has faced adversity in their lives, showing us all that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.



PRESENTATION TIMES, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Friday 11:00am and 12:00pm –
Room W215
Discovering the Miracles: Recognizing Signs of Hope and Inviting Joy Back into Your Life

Description: Join me on a personal journey of loss, resilience, and faith. I will share how I overcame the pain of losing my wife to stage 4 colon cancer and found hope again by leaning into discomfort and growing into my greatness. Through my experiences, I learned how to recognize the miracles and tender mercies in my life, as well as how to utilize my strengths to overcome challenges. 

I will also provide clinical tools and insights on how to embrace discomfort and grow through adversity. Most importantly, I will talk about how inviting God into my life helped me find a way forward and walk the path towards healing and hope. This presentation will leave you feeling inspired, equipped, and ready to embrace life’s challenges with faith and resilience. discomfort and grow through adversity. Most importantly, I will talk about how inviting God into my life helped me find a way forward and walk the path towards healing and hope. This presentation will leave you feeling inspired, equipped, and ready to embrace life’s challenges with faith and resilience.

Photo of Sharon Colyar
Sharon Colyar

Hi everyone! My name is Sharon Colyar and I am a Certified Life and Relationship Coach. After losing my husband to suicide, I put myself into the dating pool, only to make every mistake in the book! I began researching love and attraction almost a decade ago, first for my own benefit, then I turned it into a career to help other singles avoid the mistakes I had made. 

Now, 4 years after coaching, I am half of the Date to Your Potential Podcast team, AND I’ve been seen on two local TV shows: Studio 5 and Good Things Utah. Also, I have taught more than 40 dating classes on the Facebook page LDS Singles 31+. But, by far, my favorite classes to teach are at the W/W Conferences



PRESENTATION TIMES, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Friday 11:00am and 12:00pm –
Room W215
Dating for Widows and Widowers

Description: This year in my class, I will be covering:
Grief/widow fog and dating, when are you ready and what to do before you start,   hazards to avoid (red flags), getting your online dating profile ready, and of course FLIRTING!!! I’m so excited to see everyone this year!

Dr. Jared Eames

Dr. Jared Eames is a Family Medicine trained physician working for the United States Air Force. In his work with the armed forces, one of his primary focuses is on helping patients manage and overcome acute emotional trauma.

PRESENTATION TIME, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Pre-recorded Presentation ( can be watched anytime)
A Talk on Sleep with Dr. Eames

Description: When dealing with a significant life trauma there is nothing more important than providing your brain with the rest that it needs to recover. This presentation focuses on things you can do to achieve an adequate quantity and quality of sleep.

Denise Kimber

Denise currently works at Utah Youth Village, as the Vice president of Programs, overseeing the Treatment Foster Care, Families First (in-home behavioral service), Outpatient Clinical, Mentoring, and Smarter Parenting programs.  

She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University in April of 2011.  She is twice certified in the Teaching Family Model, and certified by the State of Utah as a Family Protective Factors trainer.

Through the church, she has had the opportunity to teach a Marriage and Family “Relationships” class on ward, stake, and institute levels for over 13 years. 

She likes to cook, hike, kayak, and travel.

Most importantly, Denise is the mother and step mother of 4 adult children, and grandmother of 13, all whom she adores.



PRESENTATION TIME, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Friday 12:00pm – Room WCP

How to change your kids’ behaviors for the better, and improve your relationships, no matter your circumstances.

Description: This class will give you some step-based skills to work with your children to get the positive behaviors you want and eliminate the ones you don’t want.  This will be applicable to both children and teens

Kim and Scott Killpack

Scott and Kimberly are grateful to guide and better minister to grieving widows and widowers, having both wandered the dark path of losing a spouse themselves. Scott and Kimberly both lost their first spouses, Kimberly’s husband to a bicycling accident and Scott’s wife following a 5-year battle with breast cancer. After being introduced by a mutual friend in 2007, they were married and have the perspective of continuing to blend a family of 11 children for the last 16 years.

PRESENTATION TIME, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Friday 2:30pm and 3:30pm –
The Crazy Life of Blending a Family with Learning, Loving and Laughter

Saturday 2:30pm and 3:30pm – The Crazy Life of Blending a Family with Learning, Loving and Laughter

Description: Scott and Kim are in awe of how God is working in their life as they continue to blend now 18 adult children, including spouses, and subsequent 13 grandchildren. They currently reside in Pleasant View where they enjoy watching football, and historical documentaries with their two mini schnauzers, Duke and Roo.

Michelle Lockhart

Helping people has been my passion since I was just young. I decided at 15 that I wanted to be a Registered Nurse and accomplished that goal just after my 20th birthday. I loved working in the hospital in trauma, ICU, and ER. In my later career, I started teaching. I lost my husband in 2015 to metastatic melanoma. As you all know, it was a life altering event. After he died, I decided I wanted to help people get well. I went back to school and became a Therapeutic Nutrition Practitioner, Certified Personal Trainer and National Board Certified Health and Well-being Coach. I now own and run MoreEnergy Health where we help people who want to live a full life with a healthy lifestyle.

PRESENTATION TIME, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Friday 2:30pm and 3:30pm – Room E205

Healthy Living: Principles and Promises

Description: How has grief affected the way you care for the home of your spirit? Is self care a priority in your day-to-day life? Is your body a liability or an asset to you? In this class,we will be discussing the Lord’s plan of health, how we can implement it into our daily lives and the promises given to us when we follow His plan. You will leave with strategies to improve your health that are based on both the Word of Wisdom and the best science.

Carrie Bradley Newby

I was born and raised in Northern California. I met my husband on BYU campus in a Book of Mormon/Church History class. We have 4 beautiful daughters and 4 darling grandchildren. After a long battle with colon cancer, my husband passed away in 2010, and I moved to Utah to be closer to my daughters. I went into teaching after my husband passed away and I have been teaching for the past 12 years. This July I will hit the 13 year mark of being on this widowed journey.



PRESENTATION TIMES AND TITLES

Friday 11:00am and 12:00pm – Room E205
The Seasoned Widow/Widower (discussion group)

DESCRIPTION: How do you continue to find Joy in the Journey after you have been a widow/widower for a long time? 8, 9, 10 years or longer? What things do you do to continue to bring meaning to your life and joy in this journey? How do you persist and persevere when the journey seems so long? What does the journey look like when the years continue to go on? Come explore with us and discuss what makes your life happy, joyful and fulfilling on this “Seasoned Journey.”

We will discuss things such as continuing to find joy, worries and concerns you still have many years after being widowed, how to find fulfillment now, and dating as a seasoned widow/er.

Rosie Ferguson Ouimette

Rosie Ferguson Ouimette was widowed in 2018 after caring for her disabled husband, David, for 16 years. During those 16 years, and in the four years since, she had to take on many of the tasks that her husband would normally have done. She learned how to do-it-yourself as well as how to ask others for help. Rosie and David have five children who were ages 16-23 when he died.

Rosie married Don Ouimette (a widower) in July of 2021. Together, they have nine children and six grandchildren. They live in Herriman, UT in a house that they are remodeling, which gives Rosie a chance to use many of the DIY skills she has learned.

PRESENTATION TIMES AND TITLES

Friday 2:30pm – Room W206
Trust in the Lord

Friday 3:30pm – Room W206
You Don’t Have to DIY: Gaining the Confidence to Do It Yourself and the Courage to Ask for Help

Saturday 2:30pm – Room E205
Trust in the Lord

Saturday 3:30pm – Room E205
You Don’t Have to DIY: Gaining the Confidence to Do It Yourself and the Courage to Ask for Help

Kristy Ashworth Pack

Kristy Ashworth Pack is an IRS Enrolled Agent and owner of Pack Tax in Ogden, Utah.  She grew up the daughter of a widowed mother, the youngest of 4 children ages 6-13, who lost their father to suicide in 1993.  She graduated from Brigham Young University as a Heritage Scholar and completed her Master’s Degree at the University of Utah. She started her own business while she had three children still in diapers, and she is now a member of the less than 2% of female-owned businesses in the US to generate over $1,000,000 in revenue annually. She currently serves as the President of the North View Business Alliance and as a Youth Sunday School Teacher

PRESENTATION TIMES AND TITLES

Saturday 11:00am and 12:pm – Room WCP
Finances Made Easier- Budgeting and Social Security Tips
Saturday  2:30pm and 3:30pm – Room W215
Catch the Vision- “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
**Joint presentation with Jennie Taylor

Esther Reid

Esther Reid lost her husband after a short yet intense battle with melanoma ten years ago when her children were 8 years, 2 years, and 5 months of age. She has a degree in Family Science with an emphasis in Human Development and a minor in Music. She has served on her school district’s Kindness Committee for several years and has helped in elementary and secondary schools to work with students on developing projects that promote prosocial behavior and healthy, positive environments for all children. She loves spending time with her children playing instruments, singing, hiking, paddle boarding, reading, and learning together.

PRESENTATION TIMES, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Friday 2:30pm and 3:30pm – Room W215
Parenting Through Grief: How to Help Children Work Through Difficult Emotions and Develop Resilience

Description: A discussion about the challenges faced by parents who are guiding their children as they navigate grief and life after losing a parent. Including practical resources to help children develop emotion regulation skills in the day to day moments and strategies for helping parents and their children to build resilience and turn their tragedy into growth.

Richard Rogers

A dedicated financial services professional since 2006, I’ve served as a loan officer for an independent mortgage brokerage and as a life insurance agent for both National Life of Vermont and Ameritas. To better serve my clients with a broader range of products and services, I made the decision to become an independent agent in 2015.

Professional licensures
Licensed for Life, Health, Disability, and Property & Casualty insurance.
Mortgage licenses as a loan originator and principal lending manger.
Securities licenses for Series 6, 63, and 65.

At JohnstonRogers, I guide business owners and other high-achieving professionals on the path to wealth creation. By implementing advanced planning techniques, I strive to protect assets and minimize taxes to create optimal financial outcomes for families.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given “sacrifice now or sacrifice later; but sacrifice you will.” The most rewarding part of my job is the relationship I enjoy with my clients—helping them feel confident that they are on a path that will lead to future success. Sometimes this path involves making strategic investment changes. Other times, it means encouraging clients to build memories and enrich their lives by enjoying some of their hard-earned wealth now. Then, showing them what they should do next.

If you asked my friends or coworkers what my superpower is, they’d probably say that it’s my uncanny ability to explain complex financial strategies in an easy-to-understand way. It’s probably why I once considered becoming a teacher—just like my grandfather.

If I wasn’t in financial services, I’m pretty sure I’d be a fighter-jet pilot, a park ranger, or a cabinet maker. Whatever the career, it always comes back to one thing: helping people. Outside of work, my greatest passions in life are my wife and four kids. Vacationing with my family, backcountry backpacking, experimenting on my Traeger grill, and getting in a round of golf whenever possible are just a few examples of my hobbies and interests.

PRESENTATION TIME, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Friday at 12:00pm – Room E217
Finances: Where Are You? What’s the Next Step? Empowering Yourself by Taking Inventory and Finding Gratitude

Description: After the loss of a spouse, one of the first concerns is often finances. There is no way to provide specific advice, as all situations are different, but we will discuss some foundational principles, offering tools to empower and assist you on your path forward. 

Susie Rose


Jesusa Ramos Rose was born in the Philippine Islands. She attended Shafter High in Bakersfield California as a foreign exchange student and then returned home to attend the University of The Philippines. It was during her time at the university that she met and fell in love with a handsome young American Marine who swept her off her feet! They married in 1969 and moved back to the U.S., where they raised seven beautiful children. Unfortunately, her husband was diagnosed with Leukemia and 18 months later passed away. After this devastating loss, Jesusa felt empty and alone. 

Since the passing of her husband, she has learned that she still has so much living to do. Some of her accomplishments have been winning the state and national championships for powerlifting, qualifying her for the World Cup Powerlifting Competition. She has set four World Records. She also served in the Philippines Manila Temple for three years, returning to Utah in July 2021. Even with all those accomplishments in the past few years, her story has just begun – please join us as we hear about her amazing life and adventures!

PRESENTATION TIMES, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Friday 11:00pm and 12:00pm – Room W206

Finding Strength and Miracles When Least Expected

Description: “Sometimes God will put Goliath in your life, for you to find the David within you.”  After my husband died, serving a mission in my native country was a dream come true. When mission plans changed at the last minute, I didn’t know how it could possibly work out, but the Lord found a way. Let’s talk about our Goliaths, how we can or did find David within and the miracles that follow.

Jennie Taylor and her children

Jennie Taylor is a proud native of North Ogden, Utah. She has a bachelor’s degree from BYU and a Master of Education from Utah State University. She met her husband Brent on a blind date less than a month after serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (in Chile), and they were married in the Salt Lake Temple 9 months later. 

Jennie and Brent share a deep devotion to serving God, Family and Country whenever and however they can. This commitment led to 15 years of military service for Brent, including four deployments to the Middle East. Brent also served on the North Ogden City Council for four years, and as Mayor of North Ogden for five years. Brent and Jennie are the proud parents of seven children, ages 2 to 14. 

In January of 2018, Brent left his position as Mayor and went to Afghanistan with the US Army for what would have been a year-long deployment. On November 3, 2018 Major Taylor was killed in action and life for the Taylor family seemed to have flipped upside down. 

Jennie is the daughter of a widow and a survivor of suicide loss from a young age. She has seen, experienced, and navigated loss as the child and now as the mom.    

In the months since Brent’s shocking death, Jennie has unexpectedly and frequently found herself in a position to speak out about the price of freedom, the value of community support, and the healing that can be found when moving forward with a conviction to find hope and happiness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ in spite of life’s heartache and pain.

PRESENTATION TIMES, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Saturday 11:00am & 12:00pm – Room W215

Juggling [Widowed] Life and Kids- Discussion Group
Saturday  2:30pm & 3:30pm – Room W215
Catch the Vision- “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
**Joint presentation with Kristy Ashworth Pack

Description: Life is crazy when you’re not widowed. Now you are and trying to do it on your own isn’t easy. Let’s talk about the challenges we face, the successes we’ve had, what works, what doesn’t, and share ideas.

Scott Wardle

Brother Scott Wardle is the Associate Director at the University of Utah Institute of Religion. He has been a religious educator for 28 years and has enjoyed teaching both seminary and institute throughout the Salt Lake and Tooele Valleys.  One of his favorite assignments was teaching inmates in the Tooele County Jail for three years and being an advisor to the Tooele County Drug Court. 

Scott has been married to his best friend and amazing wife, Courtney for 27 years. They love traveling, family dinners, practical jokes, yard work and just being with their children, Emma and her husband Wyatt, Lauren and her fiancé Porter and Jack, their favorite son. They both grew up in Sandy Utah. 

Brother Wardle graduated with a degree in Family and Human Development with an emphasis on marriage and family therapy, from Utah State University. In 1999 he earned a master’s degree in education and Curriculum Development. He currently is working toward a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership in Business. 

In 2006 Scott was elected to the Tooele City Council and served for 15 years. He was elected in 2020 to the Tooele County Council. He has served on various boards including the Tooele County Relief Service Board, Advisor to Tooele City Planning Commission, Tooele Valley Community Cooperative and Tooele Local Homeless Coordinating Committee, the United Way Tooele Leadership Council, Utah State University Tooele Campus Advisory Board, and The Tooele City Arts Council. He was appointed in 2022 by Governor Spencer Cox to the State of Utah Waste Management Radiation Control Board.

PRESENTATION TIMES AND TITLE:

Friday 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM – Room E217

Lazarus Time: Drawing upon the power of Jesus Christ in life and in death.


Camille Winward

Camille Winward is an Idaho farm girl who lives near Pocatello, Idaho. This coming May will mark six years on this bumpy widowhood path. She spends her weekdays with 8th graders torturing…er…teaching them the beloved subject of mathematics. She spends the weekends trying to keep up with the laundry, dishes, and grocery shopping needed for her six children, ages 7-17. She would much rather spend the weekends on a warm beach, or sliding down a snowy mountain with two long sticks strapped to her rather large feet. However, she does have summers off and loves to go visit the red rock and heat of Lake Powell in southern Utah. She currently has the best calling in the church of Primary Pianist, and really enjoys dance parties in the kitchen. It is rumored that Camille can be bribed with Reese’s peanut butter cups and/or Dr. Pepper. Or, if you’ve got a spare giraffe laying around, she might fall for that too.


PRESENTATION TIMES, TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Saturday 2:30pm and 3:30pm –
Room WCP
Picking Up the Pieces

Description: Managing the challenges of young widowhood with children at home and returning to full-time work

Brynn Clinger and Tiffany Skelton (AKA Bryffany)

Brynn was born and raised in Utah living the typical life. She graduated from Utah State, (Go AGGIES) in 2002, in Family Human Development, focusing on Youth counseling and social work. Brynn worked with high risk youth in the State Foster system in providing them with a more individualized plan in order for them to thrive where they were planted. Working with youth has always been a passion and priority in her life and has come in handy occasionally in helping her own children. 

Brynn married her boyfriend, Matt, in 2004 and together they took on the world. They are the co-creators of 5 Wild Clingers (4 teenagers and 1 who wants to be.) Matt would always blame the kids’ good looks on Brynn. Matt graduated from this life after an 18-month battle with a rare cancer, Extra Skeletal Osteosarcoma, in March of 2021, leaving Brynn to continue the development of their family here on earth. Close loss is an emotion Brynn knows all too well. Cancer took her mom in 2012 after a good 10 year fight and also took her dad, 6 months after losing Matt. Brynn was an orphan and a widow by age 41, but says she has more family than she could ever dream of. Family is who you invite into your life. Life is meant to be experienced and finding your why and your golden nuggets makes a difference on how rocky the road is traveled. She now lives in Centerville with her 5 kids and 2 dogs and calls it drowning with grace. 

Tiffany also grew up in Utah. She met her husband, Bryan, where they both worked (in different departments) at the Church Office Building. They were set up by a common friend on a blind date. 17 days, a driving lesson, and a trip to the temple later, they were engaged. 2 ½ months later they were married. It’s a great short story…literally that spans 20 years and includes 6 kids, 8 moves, 7 cars, 6 kids, 5 dogs, 4 fish, 3 degrees from 2 colleges, and a cat. 

Bryan struggled with autoimmune diseases and chronic pain for more than 15 of those years, but did his best to be an incredible husband, father, and provider. In September 2020 on their daughter’s 11 th birthday, Bryan died by suicide after his life-long struggle with mental health. Tiffany continued her way through school at this time. A year after he passed, Tiffany began her jam as a hospice chaplain…which she is convinced is the best job in the whole wide world. Helping her patients and their families have a positive and meaningful passing experience is one of the most rewarding experiences (aside from her dream job of Mom) in her life. 

Bryffany became “widow wives” after meeting at a superbowl party in 2022. It’s rare to find one without the other, unless they are working, shuttling their respective kids around, playing mom + dad, or attempting to sleep. They’re like a good PB+J…one makes the other better (although in hindsight, since Tiff is allergic to peanuts, we probably should have picked a different example lol). They have plans to build their dream homes next to each other complete with an adjoining porch and pool house, pool boy included. 

They have learned that having your person or people makes this adventure more tolerable and enjoyable because you don’t have to do it alone.Together they have found one another and continue to grow their self-claimed family. Applications will be made available during the class.

Photo of "six-sisters" sitting on a sofa.
Six Sisters