OGDEN — The Ogden/Weber Chapter of American Mothers, Inc. recently announced the Ogden City and Weber County mothers of the year.
They are Cheryl Collett Ferrin, of Eden, who is Weber County’s mother of the year, and Alice Berg Smith of Ogden, who is Ogden’s mother of the year.
The two will be honored at a reception and luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Ogden Golf and Country Club, 4197 Washington Boulevard in South Ogden.
Smith, 59, is married to David Leon Smith.
She is the mother of nine children, seven of whom are married. She is the grandmother of 15.
As a stay-at-home mother for 25 years, she said she consistently served in organizations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, striving to bless lives.
Smith has a bachelor’s degree in social work, which she wrote was a natural expression of her mothering on another level.
She worked for the State of Utah with families and the disabled, including the YCC domestic violence shelter, the Division of Child and Family Services and Division of People with Disabilities. She now owns a business, Fidelity Support, providing support coordination services for people with intellectual disabilities.
“Each child is special and deserves all the honor and love we can shower upon them,” she wrote in her application for Utah Mother of the Year. “If children are allowed to be who they really are and are nurtured to follow their own path with encouragement, work and opportunities, a masterpiece evolves.”
She outlined her philosophy of giving children the chance to feel secure and comfortable at home and for encouraging children to invest in themselves and choose to be happy.
“In every way, being a mother/grandmother has refined and challenged me to be my best and to honor these tremendous people in my life,” she wrote. “They honor me with their very existence and by the way they are choosing to live their lives.”
She encourages others to find joy in every aspect of motherhood and focus their energy there.
Ferrin, 61, is the mother of five and grandmother of 10.
A graduate in physical education at the University of Utah, Ferrin tells of her traveling the world with her Navy JAG husband Mark Ferrin, as well as teaching school in Utah, the Philippines, Taiwan and Germany.
She developed a love of other cultures and a spirit of adventure, she wrote in her application for Utah Mother of the Year.
Ferrin wrote of what she learned from her children, including how to listen, watch, be there and discern.
“We never know what our limits are if they are not challenged,” she wrote in her application. “Being a mother leaves no area of life untouched. … Sleepless nights, a husband on a business trip, and sick children have taught me to be very grateful for ordinary days.”
She wrote of recognizing that the most important work she will ever do is with the family with which God has blessed her.
In scouting, she became a den mother, a merit badge counselor and the mother of four Eagle Scouts.
Reaching beyond the classroom as a teacher, she served as president of the board of directors for the Centennial School program, president of the PTA on junior high and high school levels, a lobbyist for 20 years and a member of the Utah State Board of Education. She currently is a member of the Weber Board of Education.
A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ferrin also has found time to serve in her congregation.
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