If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad. - Jane Austen One of the last surviving members of that Greatest Generation, Fern Mackay, passed away on January 15, 2015, at Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was 96 years old. During the last weeks of her life she was attended around the clock by her three loving daughters and hospice. She outlived everyone she knew and loved in her youth and is now remembered dearly by her children and grandchildren. Fern Lorraine James was born July 25, 1918, on a humble farm in Murray, Utah, to George James and Hannah Peterson. She grew up on this small patch of land with her four sisters and two brothers. The death of her brother Ivan when he was only 4 years old was a sorrow that stayed with the family always. After graduating from Jordan High School in 1936, she earned a certificate from Henager Business College, a notable accomplishment for a woman of her means, generation and culture. Fern appreciated beauty and was always nicely and neatly dressed. Her sisters alternatively scorned and admired the care with which she kept herself, her home and her gardens, dubbing her "Fancy Fern." These sisters, Lila, June, Muriel and Marie, were an important part of her life and they shared many joys and sorrows together. Young Fern had a passionate heart and big dreams. In the middle of the Great Depression when she was only 19 years old, Fern quit a perfectly good paying job and left Utah (permanently, she hoped) for all the glamour of California. She found it precisely to her liking. She met James L. ("Jim") Mackay and they were married on August 29, 1939. It was a love affair that would last 49 years. Their marriage was happy and full until Jim's death in 1987. After the United States declared war on Japan, Jim left to fight in the South Pacific with the U.S. Marine Corp. Fern returned then to the safety of that small little farm, which sheltered and fed Fern and her two babies (Jimmy and Sherry) as the conflict raged on. Fern was one of the lucky ones: her husband returned home in 1946 and they were able to begin their lives again in the post-war prosperity of the 1950s. The couple relocated to the San Fernando Valley of California and had two more children (April and Kathy), completing their family. Eventually, Jim converted to Fern's LDS faith and she was sealed in the Los Angeles Temple to her husband and children. As Jim Mackay's partner in all things, Fern used her business training as they operated different ventures: first in home construction and later in retirement communities. Fern liked to keep track of her own accounts, even at age 96, and was a competent and skilled manager and bookkeeper. Fern lived a widow for more than 25 years. During these years, Fern traveled the world (including China, Egypt, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Europe) and lived independently. It was only under protest that she relocated to Idaho, where she could be near two of her daughters. Fern loved to say outrageous things and make keen observations to and about her family members. Mostly we roared with laughter. Fern is survived by James L. (son) and Ann Mackay of Ventura, California, Sherry and Richard Hanks of Idaho Falls, Idaho, April Repetto of Henderson, Nevada and Kathleen Moedl of Rexburg, Idaho. Two sons-in-law, Gerald Repetto and Grant X Moedl preceded her in death in recent years. She has 7 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren to whom she has shown great generosity and devotion. Interment will be at the Larkin Sunset Gardens (1950 East 10600 S.) in Draper, Utah, next to the place where Jim was laid to rest in 1987. A memorial service will be held at Sunset Gardens on January 24, 2015 at 11AM. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.coltrinmortuary.com