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    Lucy Zundel Alex (1889–1966)

    Lucy Zundel Alex was a notable Shoshone member of the Washakie Ward, serving in many callings and sharing her talents and testimony from an early age.1 She was born on 14 March 1889 to Moroni Zundel and Cohn Shoshonitz, two prominent Shoshone Latter-day Saint residents of Washakie, Utah Territory.2 Although approximately twelve years separated Lucy from her older brother, Nephi—the only other child of Moroni and Cohn to survive to adulthood—the two apparently shared a close relationship.3 Tragically, on 8 February 1892 their father, an influential leader in the community, died of typhoid fever, leaving three-year-old Lucy without a father.4 As she grew older, she presumably attended the Washakie day school, where she learned to read and write English, skills she would later employ in her ward callings and in the community.

    At the age of ten, Lucy was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on 24 June 1899.5 On 24 January 1903, she was married civilly to George Peyope, a twenty-one-year-old Northwestern Shoshone resident of Washakie.6 This was George’s second marriage; his first wife, Nancy Marry—also known as Hi-mo-tse—passed away the previous year.7 Together, Lucy and George had three children, two of whom lived to adulthood: Esther (1903–1926) and Wilford Enoch (1910–1987).8 George’s older brother Jacob also married a Lucy, Lucy Cojoe.9 Thereafter, while married to George, most references to Lucy included her middle initial Z, distinguishing her from her sister-in-law. Apparently, the community became accustomed to calling her “Lucy Z” because the middle initial stuck for many years into her second marriage.10

    A year after Lucy married George, the Washakie Ward Relief Society presidency was reorganized on 6 August 1904, with Mary Ann Morris Ward being called as the ward’s third Euro-American Relief Society president. Ward selected Lucy’s mother, Cohn—who had been the first Shoshone woman called to serve in the ward Relief Society presidency in 1883—as first counselor and Towange Timbimboo as second counselor. Aside from serving as president, Ward was set apart as the society’s secretary and treasurer. She selected fifteen-year-old Lucy as her assistant secretary in the presidency. Although girls in the ward often attended Relief Society with their mothers and were sometimes admitted as members at a young age, Lucy’s inclusion in the presidency was a noteworthy recognition of her literacy skills.11 Lucy’s calling required more than just taking minutes and completing reports. She also conducted meetings, interpreted for the older Shoshone sisters, and taught classes.12 In Relief Society meetings, she frequently took part in musical performances and once sang a solo of “Beautiful Words of Love” at a Malad Stake Relief Society meeting attended primarily by Euro-Americans.13

    Just eleven months after the birth of their third child and one day before her twenty-second birthday, Lucy’s husband, George, passed away from heart failure on 13 March 1911.14 Demonstrating her devotion to her deceased husband, Lucy traveled to the Logan Temple on 24 May 1911, received her endowment and was then sealed to George, with Washakie community member Kippechoo Noragan acting as proxy for him.15 The next day, Lucy returned to the temple for George’s sealing to his first wife, with Lucy serving as proxy for Nancy Marry.16 For the next three years, Lucy continued to faithfully raise her children, presumably with the assistance of her mother, Cohn.

    On 2 August 1914, Thomas Elk (also known as Alex) first appeared in church records, when he was baptized and confirmed.17 On 19 November 1914, Lucy civilly married Thomas or Tom, a Western Shoshone from Nevada.18 Lucy and Tom welcomed seven children into their family, three of whom lived to adulthood: Marjorie Ruby (1915–1984), Geneva (1925–1979), and Melvin Alma (1931–2007).19 Although ward records referred to Tom’s surname interchangeably as Elk and Alex as early as 1914 and throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Lucy primarily used Elk until about 1929, when both began to use Alex almost exclusively.20 Community members believed that Tom and Lucy had permanently changed their name to Alex to avoid confusion with the George Elk family, which was also in the community.21

    Even as she continued her service in the Relief Society presidency, Lucy was called in 1925 to be a religion class instructor and two years later was selected as the principal of the religion class, a course held during the week intended to supplement the public-school education.22 In April 1926, after her daughter Esther died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-two, Lucy bore her testimony, expressed her grief, and “said she felt very sorry about her daughter that died and also said she prayed to God to help her overcome her feelings.”23 Lucy fulfilled her calling as the assistant Relief Society secretary treasurer until around 1928. That year, she was called to serve as a Relief Society teacher, presumably marking her release from serving as the assistant secretary treasurer.24 Sadly, Lucy lost her sight for about a year around 1931. Her daughter Marjorie recorded: “One evening Mother said for us to all come to her and we pray to our Heavenly Father, and she sent for the Elders to administer to her. Our prayers were answered. Her eyes were opened and she can see again, and take care of family.”25

    The 1930s were marked by death as well as temporary separation from her children. Tom passed away from pneumonia on 18 December 1932 at the age of sixty, leaving Lucy to care for five children as a single mother. However, census records show that her mother, Cohn, would take a child or two into her home that she was sharing with Nephi, her oldest son.26 Lucy’s children attended the Washakie day school early in their education but then were sent to schools for Native American children in California, Washington, and Idaho.27 She would subsequently lose two of her children, Edward Wayne and Clara Bernice, to tuberculosis.28 Sometime after 1940, Lucy moved into Cohn’s home, where her brother Nephi also lived. Following the passing of Lucy’s daughter-in-law Mary Capitola Broncho, Lucy also raised her grandson Iskander Glen Peyope from the time he was five.29 Cohn passed away in 1949, and Nephi died in 1951.30 In the 1950 census, seven people occupied the home, including Marjorie and four grandchildren.31

    Lucy moved to Brigham City in 1954, presumably to be near her daughters Marjorie and Geneva.32 However, ward records show that the three of them continued to attend the Washakie Ward, thirty-eight miles away. Lucy remained very active in the ward.33 A defining characteristic was her faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ward records from her youth to her old age demonstrated a consistent desire to share her testimony, whether in Relief Society or sacrament meeting. She was usually one of the first to stand to speak when given the opportunity; however, because of her role as assistant secretary, her words were rarely recorded.34 Lucy’s devoted and faithful life came to an end on 31 July 1966 at the age of seventy-seven. She passed away from “sarcoma of the liver” in Brigham City and was buried in the Washakie cemetery.35

    Cite this page

    Lucy Zundel Alex (1889–1966), Native Saints, accessed May 28, 2026 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/native-saints/biographies/lucy-zundel-alex

      Footnotes

      1. [1]“Lucy Zundel,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      2. [2]Washakie Branch, part 2, image 157, Record of Members Collection, 1836–1970, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City (Church History Library hereafter cited as CHL); 1900 U.S. Census, Washakie, Box Elder Co., UT, enumeration dist. 207, p. 14A; biographies of Moroni Zundel and Cohn Shoshonitz Zundel.

      3. [3]“Nephi Zundel,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org; Lucy raised two of Nephi’s children (presumably after the death of Nephi’s wife, Minnie James, in 1920), and they shared the same home in their later years. (“Lucy Z. Alex,” Leader (Tremonton, UT), 4 Aug. 1966, [4]; 1950 U.S. Census, Portage, Box Elder Co., UT, enumeration dist. 2-57, p. 4; “Minnie James,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.)

      4. [4]Washakie Ward Record Book, 1887–1909, image 24, CHL.

      5. [5]Washakie Branch, part 1, image 152, Record of Members Collection, CHL.

      6. [6]Box Elder Co., UT, Marriage Licenses, 1871–1966, DGS 4540840, vol. 2, p. 126, 24 Jan 1903, familysearch.org; “George Peyope,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org. In Shoshone culture and tradition, women generally married at a very young age, typically shortly after starting menstruation. These marriage customs continued into the twentieth century. (See John W. Heaton, The Shoshone-Bannocks: Culture and Commerce at Fort Hall, 1870–1940 [University Press of Kansas, 2005], 82–83; Seymour B. Young to Lorenzo Snow and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, ca. July 1889, Wilford Woodruff Stake Correspondence, 1887–98, CHL; Phoebe Zundel Ward, interview by Charles Dibble, 1 Aug. 1945, transcript, p. 1, Utah Humanities Research Foundation Records, Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City; Glossary: “Shoshone Customary Marriages”; and biography of Rhoda Elnora Moemberg Woonsook.)

      7. [7]Logan Temple Sealings for the Dead, Couples (Includes Some Living Spouses), 1884–1943, microfilm 178066, vol. G, p. 298, 25 May 1911, FamilySearch Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City (FamilySearch Library hereafter cited as FSL); Washakie Ward Record Book, image 45, CHL; “Nancy Marry,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      8. [8]“Esther Peyope,” “Stephen Peyope,” and “Wilford Peyope,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      9. [9]Washakie Branch, part 1, image 67, Record of Member Collection, CHL; “Jacob Peyope” and “Lucy Cojoe,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      10. [10]For examples, see Washakie Ward Relief Society Minutes and Records, 1926–37, 1959–61, vol. 3, p. 58, 5 June 1934; vol. 5, images 9, 32, 18 Apr. 1960 and 16 Jan. 1961, CHL.

      11. [11]Malad Idaho Stake Relief Society Minutes and Records, 1888–1973, vol. 1, images 193–94, CHL; biographies of Cohn Shoshonitz Zundel and Towange Timbimboo; “Mary Ann Morris,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org. For examples of Shoshone girls attending Relief Society with their mothers, see biographies of Amy Hootchew Timbimboo and Mamie Perdash Wongan.

      12. [12]Washakie Ward Minutes, 1883–1910, p. 145, 21 and 28 Aug. 145, CHL; Washakie Ward Relief Society Minutes and Records, vol. 1, pp. 29, 62, 91, 25 Jan. 1929, 19 July 1927, 13 Dec. 1927, CHL.

      13. [13]Malad Idaho Stake Relief Society Minutes and Records, vol. 2, p. 72, 26 June 1908, CHL.

      14. [14]Washakie Branch, part 2, image 86, Record of Members Collection, CHL.

      15. [15]Logan Temple Endowments of the Living, 1884–1957, microfilm 178053, vol. B, p. 222, 24 May 1911, FSL; Logan Temple Sealings for the Dead, Couples (Includes Some Living Spouses), 1884–1943, microfilm 178066, vol. G, p. 297, 24 May 1911, FSL; “Kippechoo Noragan,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      16. [16]Sealings for the Dead, Couples (Includes Some Living Spouses), 1884–1943, microfilm 178066, vol. G, p. 298, 25 May 1911, FSL.

      17. [17]Washakie Branch, part 2, image 148, Record of Members Collection, CHL; biography of Thomas Alex.

      18. [18]Washakie Branch, part 2, image 153, Record of Members Collection, CHL.

      19. [19]“Marjorie Ruby Alex,” “Joseph Young Alex,” “Edward Wayne Alex,” “Daniel Lawrence Alex,” “Geneva Alex,” “Clara Bernice Alex,” and “Melvin Elmer Alex,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      20. [20]For examples, see Washakie Ward Relief Society Minutes and Records, vol. 1, images 158, 201; vol. 2, images 3; vol. 2, image 3; vol. 3, images 33, 169, 2 Mar. 1937, CHL; Washakie Ward Aaronic Priesthood Minutes and Records, 1903–15, 1953–58, vol. 1, p. 163, 20 Dec. 1914, CHL; Washakie Ward Sunday School Minutes and Records, 1910–1926, 1961, vol. 3, images 18, 21, 53, 12 Jan. 1919; 16 Feb. 1919; 9 May 1920, CHL; First Quorum of Elders Minute Books, 1909–73, vol. 20, image 34, 11 Aug. 1929, Malad Idaho Stake Melchizedek Priesthood Minutes and Records, 1872–1973, CHL; Washakie Ward General Minutes, 1902–33, 1943–62, vol. 4, 17 Aug. 1930; vol. 8, 1 Nov., CHL.

      21. [21]Helen Pubigee Timbimboo, interview by Alicia Martinez and Rios Pacheco, 5 Jan. 2012, transcript, p. 13, CHL; “George Elk,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      22. [22]Washakie Ward General Minutes, vol. 7, 4 Jan. 1925, CHL; Washakie Branch, part 1, image 269, Record of Members Collection, CHL. For more information on the Religion Class, see biography of Amy Hootchew Timbimboo.

      23. [23]Washakie Ward Relief Society Minutes, vol. 1, p. 42, 6 Apr. 1926, CHL; Washakie Branch, part 2, image 279, Record of Members Collection, CHL.

      24. [24]Washakie Ward Relief Society Minutes and Records, vol. 1, p. 90, 4 Dec. 1928, CHL.

      25. [25]Marjorie A. Pacheco Oral History, 1978, 1987–2013, transcript, 1978, p. [1], CHL.

      26. [26]Washakie Branch, part 2, image 321, Record of Members Collection, CHL; 1930 U.S. Census, Washakie Village, Box Elder Co., UT, enumeration dist. 2-38, p. 229.

      27. [27]Marjorie attended school in California and Idaho, while Edward was educated in Washington. (Marjorie A. Pacheco Oral History, transcript, 1978, p. [1], CHL; Washington Death Certificates, 1907–60, DGS 4222406, p. 308, 2 Mar. 1936, familysearch.org.

      28. [28]Washakie Branch, part 2, images 349, Record of Members Collection, CHL; Utah Death Certificates, 1904–1951, DGS 4120597, file no. 56, 4 May 1938, familysearch.org.

      29. [29]Bingham Co., ID, Obituaries, 1983–2012, DGS 100807796, Obituaries, K–Z, 2000, image 612, Iskander Glen Peyope, 3 July 2000, familysearch.org; “Mary Capitola Broncho Peyope,” Cedars Cemetery, Fort Hall, Bingham Co., ID, Memorial ID 138241298, Find a Grave, accessed 26 Jan. 2026, findagrave.com; “Iskander Glenn Peyope,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      30. [30]Washakie Branch, part 2, images 452, 468, Record of Members Collection, CHL.

      31. [31]1950 U.S. Census, Portage, Box Elder Co., UT, enumeration dist. 2-57, p. 4.

      32. [32]Box Elder Co., UT, Birth, Death, and Miscellaneous Notices, 1930–2015, DGS 106875001, Brigham City Anniversary Notices, A, Last Name, 1930–2015, “Local Woman Dies at 78,” image 109, familysearch.org.

      33. [33]See, for example, Washakie Ward Relief Society Minutes and Records, vol. 5, image 48, 6 Nov. 1961, CHL.

      34. [34]A conservative estimate, using the extant records of the Washakie Ward, shows Lucy speaking or bearing testimony over 200 times.

      35. [35]“Lucy Zundel Alex,” 31 July 1966, file no. 66023496, Utah Death Certificate Index, 1905–1967, Department of Health, Office of Vital Records and Statistics Death Certificates, series 81448, Utah Division of Archives and Records Service, archives.utah.gov.