Katherine Frampton Covalt

Katherine Frampton Covalt returned to the loving embrace of her Heavenly Father on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Surrounded by family, she passed peacefully in Farmington, Utah.

Katherine—called Katie by her family, but Kathy everywhere else—was the second of five daughters born to Eugene Kenneth Frampton and Betty Hall Frampton. She was born on March 4, 1946, during a stormy winter day that made it difficult for her parents to drive to American Fork Hospital. A descendant of Mormon Pioneers, her family settled Northern Utah County, mainly in Pleasant Grove, Highland, and the surrounding areas. She spent her youth playing with her sisters Betty, Susan, Shauna, and Carrie; various Hall and Frampton cousins; and her uncles Keith and Jay who were like brothers to her. Some of her favorite activities were spending time in American Fork Canyon with extended family, singing with her sisters, horse riding at Clayton’s Creek, making up games, learning at school, going to stake dances, and reading long into the night.

In 1964, Kathy graduated from Pleasant Grove High where she was a tri-state debate champion, a Viqueen (drill team), an editor for the high school paper, and the winner with the highest score in the state of “The Betty Crocker Homemaker of the Year Award”—without having taken any of the home ec classes, which really annoyed the teacher. An outstanding student, Kathy had scholarships to BYU and University of Southern Utah. It was at USU in Cedar City while studying early childhood development that she met Stephen Harry Covalt, a charming, handsome devil from Hawaiʻi. Steve and Kathy married in 1966. After moving to Hawaiʻi with Steve, she continued her education at University of Hawaiʻi, Manoa.

Kathy and Steve are the parents of four children: Michelle Kalehuamakanoe (Kevin) Parker, Heidi Ann Kaleoha‘alulu (Michael) Conti, Jeffery Kalai Covalt, and Susan Puanani (Josh) Barber. They raised their family mainly in Hawai‘i until 1991 when they moved to Orem, Utah.

Kathy had many careers in her life. In addition to various accounting and billing positions for Hawaiʻi businesses and creating her own homebased preschool, she was instrumental in managing Ewa Beach Chevron as co-owner with Steve. In 1991, Steve and Kathy moved the family to Orem, Utah, and Kathy began a career as a Human Resource Director. It was in this role that Kathy excelled, reaching the highest levels of national and international certifications with scores that put her in the top 1%. After retirement, Kathy continued to work in HR as a consultant and later as a Human Resource missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was a woman of deep faith who knew that though life was difficult at times, she had a loving Heavenly Father and Savior in Jesus Christ and that from all things we learned and grew to be more Christlike.

At the center of everything Kathy did was her love for her family. Her happiest moments were quiet ones, spending time with loved ones doing simple things. She had the great gift of seeing everyone both as they were and, most importantly, who they could become. Babies, children, and adults all gravitated to her because she was always kind, loving, and accepting. In her presence, you were seen and you were embraced.

Kathy is survived by her children, three sons-in-law, thirteen grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, along with an assortment of extended ‘ohana who call her Nana.

A viewing for Kathy Covalt will be held on Friday, May 24^th from 6 pm to 8 pm at Russon Mortuary, Farmington, Utah. A second viewing will be on Saturday, May 25^th at 9:30 am to 10:30 am, with the funeral to follow at 11am at the Hunters Creek Ward Chapel located at 905 Foxhunter Drive in Farmington, Utah. The service will be live-streamed on the Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and on this obituary page below. Burial will be Tuesday, May 28^th, at 2:00 pm at Farmington City Cemetery.