Millicent Burton Francis

Millicent Burton Francis was born on March 20, 1931 in Nephi, Utah. Millie was raised by loving parents, Rhoda Patterson and Shipley Davis Burton. She and her sister, Jean (deceased) were loved, adored, and raised to love and serve others. Later in life, she located a half-brother, Stan Cheever and his wife Minoo.

Millie grew up in Salt Lake City before her family relocated to Washington, DC in 1942. There she graduated from Bethesda - Chevy Chase High School. She attended Brigham Young University. While taking an accounting class that she struggled with, a young man she was dating suggested he introduce her to his friend who taught the accounting lab class for some tutoring. The tutor turned out to be Jay Francis. Millie passed the class and Jay proposed. They were married September 5, 1952, in the Salt Lake Temple.

Millie was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Service was a big part of her life. She served in the Primary presidency, taught Relief Society, was a dedicated visiting teacher, and ministered with Dad at an assisted living center for many years. Millie also enjoyed being part of the Mueller Park Daughters of the Utah Pioneers group and loved sharing her heritage with the other women.

Millie and Jay enjoyed ballroom dancing. One of her favorite callings was being ward and stake dance directors where they worked with young adults and adults teaching dances and preparing them to participate in the church dance festivals. Her children fondly remember sitting at the foot of the stairs as they watched them dance and work with the young people. Millie and Jay were members of multiple dance clubs during their heyday. They participated in events at the Hotel Utah ballroom and were members of the University Dance Club as well as several other dance organizations. They had a great circle of dance friends that developed into lifelong friendships. 

Millie and Jay had the opportunity to serve two missions for the church. From October 1991 to 1992, they served in the California, San Bernardino mission. Their assignment placed them in the Lucerne Valley region. When they arrived there, Millie was sure the Lord had sent them to the wilderness as it was very dry with nothing but desert landscaping. However, they made the desert blossom with baptisms and were instrumental in bringing 22 to baptism and a love and knowledge of their Savior. Their second mission was in the Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh mission in 2007. They served for 9 months under the direction of their son and daughter-in-law, Jay and LeeAnn, who were the Mission Leaders at the time. This was a wonderful experience for all of them.

Millie and Jay belonged to a Good Sam's Camp group, The Beehive Roamers, for over 25 years. They made so many memories traveling with their RV and cherished the friends they made in the group. The group did more than just camp. They made quilts and knitted hats, which were later donated to Primary Children's Hospital, the VA hospital, and several care centers.

Making friends and developing friendships were very important to Millie and Jay. Millie enjoyed spending time with her friends participating in activities such as golfing, crafting, going to lunch together, and playing games. There was much game and card playing in her life. Nothing brought her more joy than playing games with the grandkids and even some of her great grandkids. But boy did she hate to lose! She has passed that fun down to many of her posterity

Millie's family was the love of her life. Even when she didn't feel good, if someone mentioned an outing, an event or a chance to go to dinner, suddenly she was ready to go. We started calling her our Energizer Bunny 2.0 since Jay had the original title.

The family would like to thank all the care givers from Elevation Hospice for their loving care of their mother for the past year. Especially Cindy Hildreth, Angie, Jayni, Wendy, and Lisa. You took on the challenge to keep up with Millie's cute wit. She is going to miss you all trying to "drown" her on shower days.

Millie's passing was preceded by her beloved husband Jay, her parents Shipley and Rhoda Burton, her sister Jean McCann, and her daughter Cindy Barney. She is survived by her son Jay Kent (LeeAnn); daughter Debbie (Lee) Garner; son-in-law Curtis Barney; sons Malin (Dana), David (Brenda) and Kevin (Jill). She is the grandmother of 29 grandchildren, and 57 great-grandchildren. She was truly blessed with great posterity and will be honored by them for eternity. 

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, March 19, 2026 at the Wicker Lane Chapel, 115 E. Wicker Lane, Bountiful, Utah, where a viewing will be held from 9:00-10:00 a.m. prior to services. Interment - Morgan (South) Cemetery.

Services will be streamed on ZOOM - https://zoom.us/j/98312784478