Rosamond Hurst Melartin, 86 years, of North Logan passed away on Sunday, July 6 at the Logan Regional Hospital after a short illness.

She was born to Lona Porter and George A. Hurst, Jr., in Blanding, Utah, on November 22, 1916. She attended the elementary grades and high school in Blanding, graduating in 1935. Her college education was obtained at Utah State University where she received the normal teaching certificate in 1941, bachelor’s degree in education in 1950 and master’s degree in structural fabric design in 1968. Additional schooling was achieved while spending a year in Finland where she studied spinning, weaving, and design.

She married John Axel Melartin in Austin, Nevada, on February 16, 1946. He died on January 27, 1991, after 45 years together. She and Axel were not blessed with children of their own, but reared Axel’s niece Kirsti Melartin Vuohelainen from Finland.

Rosamond spent 41 years teaching in the elementary grades. Her teaching took her to many schools: Blanding, Eureka, Alamo, Ruby Valley, Cokeville, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Cache, and Box Elder Counties. She also spent a year in Germany, teaching the children of the U.S. service men.

To many of these areas she moved with her husband as he worked in mining and later in wildlife management. Much of her teaching was with remedial reading and the learning disabled children. She remembers most of her students and many of her young acquaintances refer to her as Grandma Rosamond.

She has always loved books, receiving an added interest in reading while she worked in the library when first attending college. She delights in children’s stories and has a vast library of her own, sharing many of her books with others. She uses libraries and until recently volunteered at the Logan City Library.

She and her husband demonstrated spinning and weaving at the Festival of the American West from its beginning. She has also demonstrated those skills to school children and other groups from Richmond down to Provo, including the State Fair.

She has been the focus of attention to young and old alike as the Green Canyon Witch at the North Logan Pumpkin Walk since its beginning. She delights in family relations and has done much research to her and Axel’s ancestries.

Preceded in death by her husband J. Axel Melartin, her parents Lona and George A. Hurst. Survived by her niece Kirsti & Unto Vuohelainen, her sisters Georgan Burtenshaw of Blanding, Utah and DalMar & Fred Hellstrom of Bicknell, Utah, and one brother, G. Ray Burtenshaw of North Logan, Utah.

Funeral Services will be held Thursday, July 10, 2003 at 12:00 noon at the LDS North Logan 2nd Ward church house, located at 1105 East 2100 North in North Logan, Utah. Condolences and respect can be made to the family from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the North Logan church house prior to the funeral. Burial will be in the Logan City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the North Logan City Library, 2500 North 475 East, North Logan, Utah 84341. Arrangements by the Allen-Cranney Mortuary, North Logan, Utah.