‘She had the ability to connect with people’: Family, loved ones honor the life and legacy of Mia Love
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- Mia Love’s husband Jason Love speaks at funeral services for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- A photo and floral display honors former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at her funeral services at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- A casket is brought out of the chapel during funeral services for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson speaks at funeral services for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- A military salute was conducted outside of the chapel following funeral services for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- Sister Cyndi Brito and brother Jean Love speak at funeral services for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner share a hug outside of the chapel ahead of funeral services for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- A table in a walkway displays flowers and photos during funeral services for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at funeral services at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- A table in a walkway displays flowers and photos during funeral services for former U.S. Rep. Mia Love at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- The casket of former U.S. Rep. Mia Love is brought into the chapel during funeral services at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
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- The outside of the chapel is pictured following funeral services at the University of Utah Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 7, 2025.
Utahns, former colleagues and supporters from across the country paid their final respects to former Utah Congresswoman Mia Love and her family on Monday.
Love served as a wife, a mother, a leader in the community and a politician who made national waves.
Funeral services were held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Institute of Religion on the University of Utah campus.
Her life, legacy and years of local and national service were honored after losing a more than two-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, on March 23 at the age of 49.
A walkway filled with photos of Love with family, friends and loved ones filled a table along with flowers as hundreds of mourners began entering the service.
The former lawmaker, born to Haitian immigrants on Dec. 6, 1975, would be marked for breaking down barriers for women of color at home in Utah and on the national stage in Washington, D.C.
Love was elected as the first Black Republican woman in Congress, serving two terms in Utah’s 4th Congressional District from 2015-19.
But even before that, her love for community was apparent while tackling mounting issues in Saratoga Springs, where Love and her family resided.
Jason Love, Mia’s husband, recounted numerous moments when he discovered his wife’s “superpowers.”
“I learned very early on that she had the ability to connect with people and bring them along with her in superhuman fashion,” he said.
Jason Love recalled some of the defining moments that eventually led to her roles in the Saratoga Springs city government.
Mia Love served as a city councilwoman from 2004-09, and eventually as the city’s mayor from 2010-13.
“Our Saratoga Springs neighborhood needed to address some challenges it was having with the land developer and with the city. The neighbors who knew of her Jedi powers recruited her to represent their interest,” he said.
Jason Love shared a story from a citizen who wrote to him in an email about an early encounter they had with Mia while she was running for mayor of Saratoga Springs.
“She was walking around our neighborhood, knocking on doors, introducing herself to let everyone know who she was and what she stood for — she was a joy to talk with,” said Jason Love citing contents of the email.
He also reflected on her life as a mother and Latter-day Saint.
“We had the most extraordinary 27 years of marriage,” Jason Love said as he briefly became emotional.
The service featured the sounds of a choir made up of Mia Love’s friends who sang hymns aligning with her optimistic spirit and her faith.
Mia Love’s sister, Cyndi Brito, spoke to her confidence and bravery, which said began at a young age.
“Mia has never shied away from hard work and succeeding. When our sister was younger, she loved being in school plays and would always go for major roles,” Brito said.
She shared a story about her daughter Carly’s school presentation less than a month before Love’s death that emphasized her impact as an aunt and role model.
“Mia Love took a role and was the best at it. Because of the encounter she had with my children, my daughter was brave enough to step up, stand out and land her voice,” Brito stated.
A constant theme throughout the service was communicating that while Love’s body may no longer be on this earth, her legacy lives on through her family messages of empowering people of all backgrounds to never shy away from what they’re passionate about.
“Mia is still working, and I know Mia is doing and being the best,” Brito said.
Audio excerpts from her book “Qualified” were played during the service, and her three children — Abi, Alessa, and Peyton — read their mother’s final letter “My living wish for the America I know,” which was published last month in the Deseret News.
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson shared intimate details of their friendship which began when Love was on her mayoral campaign in 2009.
She said Love decided to fight her cancer with all her might, emphasizing the need for her friends to cheerlead and support her without showing doom and gloom.
“This is a campaign, and we are going to win — fight with me, run with me, climb that summit with me. And so our job was clear — no doom and gloom, no tears — although we cried many, just not in front of Mia,” Henderson said.
Despite the outcome, Henderson said Love’s determination to fight the illness was a testament to who she is as a person.
“On this earth, Mia was a powerful force for good. She used her influence to spread her faith in America, uplift and build those around her, always believing that we are stronger and better together — I miss her,” Henderson said. “And although she is no longer physically present in our lives, she does still live.”
A military salute was conducted outside of the chapel after the service, as an American flag was given to her family. No further procession was held. Mia Love will be “interred at a later date,” once the new Saratoga Springs cemetery opens sometime this year.
