Venna Lorraine Boden Thain passed away from this life on January 20, 2026 in Hyde Park, Utah at the age of 87.
Lori was born September 11, 1938 in Woodland, California, the fourth daughter of Wendall Boden and Pauline Lockridge Boden. She was raised in Sacramento and had many happy memories, even growing up during the time of World War II that included the loss of a sister serving in the Navy— but all around her, she felt safe and well loved. Her sisters were much older than her and acted as three extra mothers to the sassy Lori, who was featured numerous times in the local newspaper for things such as swallowing a bullet and holding her own grandparents at bay with a garden hose. Six-year-old Lori also walked to the street corner near her house, wrapped in her mother’s old curtains for her costume and sang “Bell Bottom Trousers, Coats of Navy Blue” to the sailors catching the bus, even getting a few whistles from some undoubtedly entertained young men.
Lori graduated from Sacramento Senior High School in 1956 and then attended BYU for a time. After she returned to California, she worked at Aerojet General where she met and married her first husband. From that marriage came three sons, Daved, Greg, and Shane.
After her divorce, Lori met the love of her life, K. Paull Thain of Benson, Utah in 1981 through Wendall and Sandy Turner, former primary counselor. In fact, at one time Lori asked her son Greg to borrow his hot rod Camaro to take Paull on a date. Although Greg agreed, he grilled Paull as to where they were going and when he would have his mom back that evening. They both knew that there was no sense in wasting any time, so they were sealed together for time and eternity in the Idaho Falls Temple on December 30th 1981. Shane instantly became a brother to Paull’s three sons from his previous marriage, Doug, Steve, and Mike. Paull later adopted Shane, making him an official Thain. It was like The Brady Bunch but all BOYS!
Lori and Paull enjoyed a tremendously happy life together, with Paull becoming her knight in shining armor in every possible way. Paull was so patient and kind to her, and he could not have found a more grateful recipient. Their devotion to one another grew deeper with every passing year. They became very close with “The Benson Bunch”, an aging motorcycle gang that formed in and around the Benson Ward. They took many trips with this group of friends and enjoyed seeing the country with every minute of every trip scheduled and locked in by Paull, the engineer.
Family and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ were the two most important parts of Lori’s life. As much she served in many leadership and teaching roles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They served 3 missions, 2 in Hawaii and 1 in England, between 1998 to 2006. With the amount of journaling and notes taken from general conferences and talks, she and Paull could have written many books on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Besides being sealed to her eternal companion, serving the Lord was her highlight of her life.
After serving missions they decided to pull up stakes and move to St. George. They spent many happy years there, exploring the surrounding areas, entertaining many children and grandchildren who came to visit, and working together to create a very comfortable home. They were together every day until Paull’s passing in 2020. Lori never really recovered from this loss. He was her whole world.
In the fall of 2024, she moved to Idaho Falls to live with Greg and his wife Angie in his cozy apartment he hand crafted in his home especially for her. In June of 2025, Lori made the decision to move to Legacy House in Logan. She spent her final months there with Shane and Angie and their children coming to care for her almost every day as well as receiving many beloved visitors.
Lori will be greatly missed by her family and friends. We look forward to being with her again as a family. She was a true sassy grandma and kept everyone on their toes with her quick wit, extreme generosity, gratitude of family and friends, and abundant love.
Lori is preceded in death and now united with her beloved husband, Paull, her parents Wendall and Pauline, her three sisters Virginia, Bette, and Kathryn, and stepson, Mike Thain. She is survived by her sons Steve, Doug, Daved, Greg, and Shane, 19 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren.
A viewing will be at Nelson Funeral Home on Thursday, January 29th from 5:00-7:00 pm. Graveside services will be conducted at Logan Cemetery on Friday, January 30th at 2:00 pm.
Nelson Funeral Home
Logan City Cemetery
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