Rachel (Packard) Florence

Rachel Packard Florence, age 52, passed through the veil on May 15, 2021 in her home in Ogden, Utah after a courageous battle with cancer.

Rachel was born on November 29, 1968 in Oceanside, California to Von and Sheila Packard, born the 11th of 12 children. Part of her childhood was spent in Santiago, Chile where her father was called to be a mission president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She graduated from Carlsbad High School and attended college at Brigham Young University where she met her sweetheart, Michael Florence.

Mike and Rachel were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on August 29, 1989. They are parents to five beautiful children: Eric, Rachelle, Matthew, Savannah, and Shayla and grandparents to their sweet granddaughter Everly.

Rachel had a beautiful Alto voice and loved teaching her children to enjoy music. Each of her children played the piano and were involved in musical theater to varying degrees. She was an avid reader, especially reading to and with her children. Rachel enjoyed traveling all over the world, planting flowers, and decorating her home, particularly for the holidays. She spent 11 years as a musical missionary in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. She travelled the world sharing her musical talent with others.

She was diagnosed with an unknown type of metastatic cancer in October of 2020. While receiving an MRI, she was listening to music by the Tabernacle Choir when the song "Homeward Bound" came on. This song was recorded the day her father passed from this life. In that moment she knew that her diagnosis was terminal, but that her earthly father and her Father in Heaven would be there to strengthen and uplift her until her time on earth was finished.

Rachel is preceded in death by her father Von Packard, father-in-law Joseph Florence, mother-in-law Lurlien Florence, and brother-in-law Steve Driggs. She is survived by her husband Michael Florence; her children Eric, Rachelle (Jensen & Everly), Matthew (Lindsey), Savannah, and Shayla; her mother Sheila Packard; and siblings Sheila Driggs, Von (Ann) Packard, Mark (Bonnie) Packard, Garth (Annette) Packard, Paul (Sherrie) Packard, Marlys (Del) Lott, Phillip Packard, Elaine (Mark) Moon, Rebecca (Lance) Garrett, JD (Tiffany) Packard, and Jennifer (Paul) Pickett.

Friends may visit with the family on Friday, May 21, 2021 from 6-8 P.M. at the Weber Stake Center, 5855 Skyline, Ogden, UT 84403, and Saturday May 22, 2021 from 9:30-10:30 AM. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 11:00 AM, at the same location. The funeral can be live streamed on Rachel's obituary page at www.myers-mortuary.com. Interment, Lindquist's Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch. We would like to thank all the people at Community Nursing Services for their loving care of Rachel and our family.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like you to please donate to the Rachel P Florence Performing Arts Scholarship at Weber State University, using the following link http://advancement.weber.edu/FlorenceScholarship