Faye L. Utecht

It is with profound sadness that we announce our sweet, beautiful mother, Faye Utecht, passed away on September 19, 2026. She carried herself with a thoughtful dignity and purpose serving as a role model for her family. She instilled the values of helping and respecting others to her children and to find success in life by being kind.

Faye was born and raised in Harlingen, Texas, the oldest of a rambunctious and loving family. After high school she worked as an operator at Southwest Bell and as an administrator at Harlingen Air Force Base where her whirlwind adventure began. She eloped with a young airman who had only eight dollars in his pocket when they were married. She traveled the country and parts of the world as an Air Force wife to an officer that flew B-52’s and B-57’s. From Alaska to Japan to Mexico to Arizona to Texas to Mississippi to South Dakota to the Rio Grande Valley to the Pentagon all while raising two children. After her children were raised, she found herself working for the Bureau of Labor and Statistics in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Her best friend turned out to be her daughter, and what a pair they made. Their relationship was unsurpassed and truly special, an extraordinary kinship of enduring love and respect.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, Ron Utecht. She is survived by her two children, Leigh, a devoted daughter who never left her side in the hospital, her son, Rick and her youngest sister, Janey.

Our mom embodied a pleasant combination of compassion and grace, and we loved her so.