Colleen McKell Bingham

The last leaf has fallen. On July 8, 2018, Colleen McKell Bingham had her prayers answered and she finally joined her “sweetheart”, Erv Bingham. Colleen was born on March 1, 1928 in Spanish Fork, Utah to Vernon Edward McKell and Hazel Creer Thomas. As a girl, Colleen lived in Spanish Fork and in Blackfoot and Sugar City, Idaho. She graduated from Spanish Fork High School in 1946. It was while working selling tickets at the Angelus movie theatre in Spanish Fork that she met a handsome young Army Air Corps veteran, Ervin Bingham. They were married for eternity on October 15, 1946 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Colleen was the mother of four children – Wayne Ervin Bingham (Linda LaGrange), LeeAnn Bingham Call (Richard L. Call), Seth Vernon Bingham (Donna Spencer Bingham) and Mark David Bingham (Debra Damstedt Bingham). After her children were born, Colleen chose to be a stay at home mom except for periods of time when she worked at the Ogden Chamber of Commerce, JC Penney in the fabric department and as a tour guide at the Keebler Bakery in Denver. She was an accomplished seamstress, cook, floral arranger, gardener and poet. She loved antiquing and golfing with Erv. Colleen skied and swam routinely after her children left home and she walked and exercised to keep herself in shape. She was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served in many Ward and Stake callings. A highlight of her service was heading up the cleaning of the Denver Temple after its construction. She had a firm testimony of Jesus Christ.

Colleen and Erv lived in Spanish Fork, Nephi, Ogden, and Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Colorado. She recently reflected that she was happiest in Ogden because of all the things that were going on in her life at that time. The last years of her life were spent in the home of LeeAnn and Rich Call in Westminster, Colorado. Colleen was appreciative of their having “made a home” for her and caring for her the last years of her life.

Colleen was proud of her Utah pioneer heritage and was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She was devoted to her Grandpa William McKell, the Spanish Fork blacksmith, whom she spent lots of time with as a young girl. She would awake in the morning to the sound of the hammer on the anvil and couldn’t wait to get out to the shop. Because of that childhood experience, Colleen was a loving and devoted grandmother to 15 grandchildren and 37 great grandchildren. She “called each of them by name” in her prayers.

Colleen was the last living member of her and of Erv’s immediate families and has now joined them. There will be a family gathering at the Walker Mortuary in Spanish Fork on Saturday, July 14th. She will be laid next to Erv in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery. Contact the Walker Mortuary in Spanish Fork for details.

Family Gathering:

Walker Mortuary
187 S. Main St.
Spanish Fort, UT 84660

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