Ethel Peterson Farr Hext

Ethel Peterson Farr Hext, 96, passed away Tuesday, February 19, 2019 in Springerville. She was born October 2, 1922 in St. Johns, the daughter of Brigham Young Peterson and Stella Jarvis Peterson.

Ethel was an avid reader from age 11 and was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and played the organ and piano in various church positions from age 8 to 94. Ethel graduated from St. Johns High School in 1941 and married Dean Farr on June 2, 1942. Dean died in Germany in 1944.

Ethel’s brother, Brigham, taught her to fly a small plane and together they co-owned their own plane. She attended ASU and majored in agriculture. She met Richard Hext at ASU in 1946 and they were married in Lordsberg, New Mexico on January 30, 1947. She quit school and moved back to St. Johns to start farming.

Ethel was a farm wife, raised a family, taught Primary for 70 years, was active in 4H, milked cows, taught sewing, worked at the Apache County Fair for 25 years, taught piano to over 2000 students for 67 years, was secretary for the Apache County Farm Bureau for 25 years and traveled all over the state of Arizona and flew coast to coast attending Bureau meetings. At 57 years old, she climbed to the top of Mount Baldy (11,950 ft.); said she could see the farm from there. She built a home in St. Johns in 1979 and attended numerous Hext Family Reunions in Texas. Richard preceded her in death on April 29, 1996.

Ethel is survived by her sons, Kenneth Richard Hext, Show Low; Robert Van (Christina) Hext, Globe; Dennis (Laurie) Hext, American Fork, Utah; daughters, Adrienne (Bob) Wagoner, St. Johns; Ethelynn Hext, St. Johns; 20 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and 11 great, great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, 11 siblings, both of her husbands, 2 grandchildren, 5 nephews and 4 nieces.

Funeral Services will be held, Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, St. Johns Downtown building. Interment will follow the funeral services at the St. Johns Westside Cemetery.