On November 1, 2015 we lost our wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Moyne Ann (Lightfoot) Croxford. She passed away peacefully in her sleep after a brave battle with Leukemia. A Visitation will be held Friday, November 6th from 6pm-8pm in the Rose Room Chapel at Croxford Funeral Home. The Funeral Service is scheduled for Saturday, November 7th at 11:00 AM, with visitation available for one hour prior, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 1401 9th Street NW. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa on September 23, 1941, Moyne was one of three children raised by Lemen and Delores Lightfoot. In high school she was a cheerleader, a member of the honor society and was elected homecoming queen. She graduated from high school in Kirksville, MO in 1959 and then came to Great Falls with her mother to be closer to her half-brother, Gene Kelly. She worked in various retail stores and attended the College of Great Falls for two years. Shortly after her 21st birthday, Moyne was married to Ken Small. She and Ken joined the LDS religion and their marriage was later solemnized in the Los Angeles temple in 1967. Although they divorced for various reasons in 1993, their 32 years of marriage produced five children and many happy memories. Together they had discovered the truth and goodness of the Mormon religion, learned from one another, and experienced several unforgettable adventures.

Moyne’s faith and spirit were central tenets of her personality; she found great strength in daily scripture study, prayer and striving to keep the Lord’s commandments. She was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and faithfully served in many positions. One of her favorite callings was when she served as a Genealogy Librarian and Stake Historian. Outside of church, community relations and activities were top on her list of things to do. Moyne, being a dental assistant for Dr. Pellet in Great Falls, and Dr. Delong in Portland, Oregon, identified the need for a women’s group within the industry and took it upon herself to organize the Dental Wives’ Auxiliary in the early ‘70s in Great Falls. She also served as the Symphony Guild President, a member of Ad Club, taught yoga and etiquette classes; she put on fashion shows for the community, even modeling in them from time to time, and spent two years as the Drill Team advisor for CMR. Of the many roles she held throughout her life, however, being a mother was her most cherished. She relished the close relationship she had with each of her children.

On October 28, 1995, Moyne married Dennis Croxford. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Washington D.C. temple in 1997. Moyne found that her already large family had now grown substantially, and one of her favorite things to do with Dennis was to visit their combined 11 children and 27 grandchildren. Due to the nature of Dennis’s business, opportunities for traveling were few and far between, but often times they were able to attend national mortuary conventions. They found these to be some of their most enjoyable trips, learning about the industry’s growth and changes, and bringing home practices to serve the changing needs of the families in their community.

At home, Moyne and Denny had created a wildlife refuge, of sorts. Since traveling was difficult they couldn’t see the point of owning a cabin when all their favorite creatures were right at their back porch: turkeys, deer, squirrels, bunnies and pheasants were daily visitors to the “Croxford Cabin.” Moyne’s deep love of animals was apparent to all their visitors, and because Moyne loved to entertain, numerous friends were invited to their home and back porch cabin and enjoyed the wide array of wildlife that felt safe in their backyard.

Moyne had a great sense of humor. Her personal passion was reading. She loved to read and collect books of all kinds and all genres. Whether she found them at rummage sales or book stores, received them as gifts or as inheritance from loved ones, the origin didn’t matter – her personal library had grown to near 3,000 books, and yes, she had read them all! This went hand in hand with her hobbies of history and genealogy, which were things she greatly enjoyed for herself and sharing with others. She also loved to dance, sing, decorate and was known for being a big Patriot. She had even devoted an entire room in their home to a Patriotic theme.

She was deeply grateful for the care and compassion she received from Dr. Brice Addison and Mary Gray, FNP. Her passing has left many of us grieving the loss of a significant woman who shaped our lives in countless ways. Her place in our hearts can never be filled, as she will never be forgotten. To know she has gone home to her Heavenly Father is a great comfort to her family and close friends.

Moyne was preceded in death by her half-brother, Gene (Peggy) Kelly and by her sister, Bev Findling.

Survivors include her children and their families: Scott Small of Newport Beach, CA and his son, Scotty Small of San Jose, CA; Mark (Stephanie) Small and their children, Jessica, Christina, Brittany, Tyler and McKenzie, all of Wilsonville, OR; Jill (Scott) Henderson of Provo, UT and their combined children, Kyle Henderson of Great Falls, and Nicole (Nate) Larson and their children, Riley and Ella, also of Great Falls; Amy (Russ) Stenquist and their children, Tanner, Jensen, Maycee, Carley, Kennedy and Garrett, all of Idaho Falls; and John (Jennifer) Small and their children, Elizabeth, Campbell, J.R. and Hilary, all of Bozeman.

Survivors also include her step-children and their families: Jason Croxford and his children, Dylan and Cinchia, all of Alpine, UT; Jeni Lynn Croxford and her daughter, Emma, also of Alpine, UT; Juli Ann Croxford, of Alpine, UT; Jami Sue (Jim) Sharp and their children, Evan, Owen, Blake and Ainsley, all of Post Falls, ID; Jessica Croxford of Boise, ID; and James (Sarah) Croxford and their children, Ezra and Ivy, all of Alpine, UT.

She is also survived by brother-in-law, Tex Findling of Kirksville, MO as well as numerous cousins in Missouri; and nieces, Colleen (Bill) Lorenz of Billings and Sue (Dean) Ashley of Great Falls; and nephew, Patrick Kelly, also of Great Falls.

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