Jeanne Biddulph

Jeanne Merkley Biddulph, 86, of Ammon, passed away September 17, 2026, at her home.

Jeanne was born 24 June 1940 in Logan, Utah, to Clyde Merkley and Mozelle Winn. She loved life in Cache Valley and especially being on the farm of her grandparents, George and Johanna Winn in Smithfield. She loved her cousins and shared many wonderful memories with them as they taught themselves to swim in the irrigation ditches and canals.

The family moved to Idaho Falls when she was young. Her father managed the Mendenhall Auto Parts store there for the rest of his life. Jeanne also loved Idaho Falls and attended Idaho Falls High School. She was blessed with a special relationship with her sister, Marilyn. They were lifelong friends. It was here in Idaho that she learned to play the piano, which was a love of her life. She taught piano to many of her grandchildren, and music was a great blessing in our home. She loved to play the hymns in later years and continued to play up to a few days before her passing. She kept music even when memory began to fade.

She attended Utah State University in Logan. She was a beauty queen from Idaho and a member of the Kappa Delta sorority. This is where she met Ed Biddulph who was to become her husband of 65 wonderful years. Their first date was a football homecoming dance and game. It didn't take Ed long to realize there was something very special about this young lady. He just had to convince her. They were married in the SLC Temple, 14 September 1961. She graduated from Utah State a year later as an English teacher.

Her first summer of marriage was spent in Yellowstone Park where her husband worked on a road crew. Much of the summer was spent living in a tent with mosquitoes humming outside, but she never complained. She had worked the summer before as a waitress at Jackson Lake Lodge, and they spent their honeymoon in Jackson, so Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks were always a favorite vacation location throughout her life.

She taught high school English at Olympus High in SLC for a year as her husband started medical school. Shortly after that, the children started to come. First Greg, then Mike, and Bonnie, and Merrilee. Jeanne became a stay-at-home mom and devoted her life to her family. Our children have blessed our lives and continue to do so.

With our school complete, we made the decision to settle in Idaho Falls and live in Ammon.

Jeanne has always had a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and has helped strengthen those around her. She served as a leader in all the women’s organizations and as a mission leader in the Philippines Bacolod Mission of the church. She also served in the Idaho Falls Temple presidency and as a church patriarch assistant. She served with all her heart wherever she was called.

She was always dependable and a compassionate friend. Faith and family were her greatest priorities in life. Her husband said that he never had to worry when he was away from home because he knew things were being well taken care of there. Jeanne brought a feeling of peace and stability wherever she was and strength to those around her. She was a blessing on this earth and will be a blessing in heaven.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at the Ammon East Stake Center, 5366 E. 1st Street. The family will visit with friends Tuesday from 6:30-8 p.m. at Wood Funeral Home East Side, 963 S. Ammon Road, and Wednesday from 10-10:45 a.m. prior to services at the church. Burial will be in the Ammon Cemetery.