Gayla Lavay Hansen Hill

Gayla Lavay Hansen Hill passed away unexpectedly on December 20, 2025. She was born on June 5, 1937. She was the youngest child and only daughter of Gladys Ellen Roe and Clarence Edmund Hansen. Her two older brothers were Clarence (Bud) Roe Hansen and Arlen (Ted) Lavar Hansen.

Gayla was educated in the Logan school system, having attended Adams Elementary, Logan Junior High, and Logan Senior High School. She graduated from Utah State University with a major in physical education and an emphasis in dance. In junior high and high school, Gayla was a majorette for the school band and also participated as a dancer in several productions. At Utah State, she earned a spot on the popular Aggiette drill team and served as its president during her junior year. She also performed at football halftime shows with The Featurettes and was in charge of the Independence Students’ Dance Contest. She danced in several productions, including Look on the Land, which was held for several summers in the Utah State University amphitheater. She served as an officer for the intramural women’s group and belonged to the PEMM Club. She was also a charter member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority for college women.

While attending Utah State, Gayla worked part time for Photographic Services as a secretary for four years. Upon graduation, she taught physical education at Highland High School in Sacramento, California; Ogden High School in Ogden, Utah; and O. E. Bell Junior High in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She also worked one summer as a camp counselor for the Santa Monica Girl Scout Council and later worked for two years as a secretary at Thiokol Chemical Corporation.

She married Harry N. Hill of Rexburg, Idaho, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The couple lived in Idaho Falls, Idaho; Bethesda, Maryland; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Mt. Vernon, Virginia; and Centerville, Ohio, as Harry’s work assignments required. They had three children: Wendy, Michael, and Jennifer.

Gayla loved the outdoors and, with her husband and children, enjoyed ice skating, snow skiing, water skiing, golfing, canoeing, camping, and hiking. The family took several canoe trips in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota, and while working with Cub Scouts in Ohio, they also canoed on a local river. Gayla was actively involved with Girl Scouts while living in Albuquerque and Ohio. When she was very young, her father introduced her to ice skating, and she spent many happy hours skating with cousins and close neighborhood friends at what is now known as Merlin Olsen Park in Logan.

When she was four years old, she began tap dance lessons, and two years later added ballet. She was often invited to dance throughout Cache Valley in floor shows for church Green and Gold dances, weddings, and professional groups.

While living in Centerville, Ohio, she was divorced after 23 years of marriage and returned to Logan with two teenagers and several pets. She reentered Utah State University to earn certification in special education. After completing her certification, she moved to Puyallup, Washington, where she taught special education resource classes for the Puyallup School District for 18 years. She loved working with her young students but always enjoyed returning to Utah to spend time with family and friends and participate in the activities she loved most. During summer and Christmas breaks, she enjoyed skiing with her son, who lives in the Salt Lake area, and with her daughter Wendy, who at the time lived in Eden, Utah. She also enjoyed golfing with her brothers and nephews, and spending time with her nieces was always a high priority.

Gayla attended ballroom dance camp at Brigham Young University for 12 summers. She socialized with a singles group, developing close friendships and enjoying dinners, picnics, and camping trips to the Tetons. One summer, she went on a cruise to Jamaica with friends from Orting, Washington, where she lived for the last 30 years of her life.

She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was endowed in the Seattle Temple while living in Washington and enjoyed attending Utah temples with old friends and family members. She served as a teacher in the Young Women’s program and in Relief Society.

Gayla enjoyed visiting her daughters in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Lafayette, Indiana; and Lake Worth, Florida. She had three grandchildren—Elizabeth, Samantha, and Nathan—children of her daughter Jennifer. Her greatest regret was living so far away from her grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Bud; her brother Ted and his wife, Shirley; and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at Nelson Funeral Home in Logan, Utah, on Wednesday, January 7, at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow at the Logan City Cemetery.