- Date Of Birth: September 1, 1977
- Date Of Death: January 31, 2022
- State: Utah
Rebecca Anne van Uitert, age 44, passed away in Mountain View, Hawaii on Monday, January 31, 2022. Rebecca’s fierce care for her family and community was a gift to all who knew her; her influence was wide-reaching and will be long remembered.
Rebecca was born on September 1, 1977 in Pinetop, Arizona to Fae Anderson van Uitert and Dennis van Uitert. She passed away as a result of an automobile accident that also claimed the life of her husband, Jason Howell.
She married Jason on October 26, 2002 in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During their marriage, Rebecca and Jason lived in New York City, Chicago, Illinois, and Heber City, Utah, enjoying the nature and culture of every place they lived and making deep friendships wherever they went. They taught, traveled, laughed, learned, and served together, loving and supporting one another through every challenge and every joy.
Rebecca was a talented violinist, an avid reader, and immersed herself in everything from the arts to pop culture. Always a gifted student, Rebecca graduated from Bonneville High School in Ogden, Utah and then Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah with a degree in international studies. She next earned a law degree from St. John’s University in Queens, New York; while a student there she served as a Judicial Law Clerk Intern with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review and was the Managing Editor of the St. John’s Law Review and the Journal of Catholic Legal Studies.
As a widely respected immigration attorney at the Fragomen law firm, Rebecca deployed her skills across varied industries, but always provided the same best-in-class service pro-bono to immigrant communities. Rebecca was the first Pro Bono Coordinator in Fragomen’s Chicago office, managing projects related to asylum, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and U-visa cases. She also led the firm’s efforts to provide pro bono attorney representation to asylum-seeking women and children detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement along the southern border of the United States. In all of these roles, she was a passionate mentor for junior staff and students, making this her full-time vocation from 2018 to 2020 as Dean of Career Services and Professional Development at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. She then served as VP of Human Resources at AgReserves, before returning to Fragomen as a managing partner of the new Salt Lake City office in 2021.
Rebecca shared her gifts with her church community as well. She served a mission in Spanish-speaking communities surrounding Ventura, California. As a leader, teacher, and committed Mormon feminist, she wrestled with deep questions, shared her experiences with honesty, and blessed many with her insights. She lived her values with compassion and integrity—values she and Jason instilled in their children.
Rebecca matched the intensity of her intellectual and professional pursuits with an intense love for her family and friends. She was an unfailing advocate, cheerleader, companion, and travel or hiking buddy. The reach of her great love was expanded in 2015 when she and Jason adopted Maria, Jesus, Manuel, and Roxana, four marvelous, inquisitive, energetic, and adventurous children. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in 2016. Rebecca nurtured her children with tenderness, defended them with tenacity, and delighted in their every accomplishment. As a family, they traveled in the U.S. and abroad, attended festivals, concerts, and athletic competitions. With family and friends, they spent countless hours in their beloved red-rock landscape of Southern Utah in Glendale, where generations of Rebecca’s family resided.
Rebecca is survived by her four children, Maria Louise, Jesus, Manuel, and Roxana, as well as her parents. She is also survived by her siblings Antonie van Uitert (Anna), Marie Louise van Uitert (Daniel Endreson), Benjamin van Uitert, Bert van Uitert (Catherine), and Elizabeth Hernandez (Joseph), and many beloved cousins, brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.
