April 8, 2025
Loved Ones Celebrate Late Republican U.S. Rep Mia Love’s Legacy During Emotional Ceremony
During Monday's ceremony, loved ones and Utah leaders reflected on the late politician's life stories and her hopes for American leaders.
An April 7 ceremony gathered hundreds of loved ones with heavy hearts to honor late Republican politician Mia Love at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City, Utah.
According to the Associated Press, the entrance of the church was lined with American flags as attendees observed family photos and bouquets of red and white flowers. Her husband, Jason Love, stood before the crowd to reflect on stories of his wife and her “superpowers” as a mother. “She was an extraordinary mother, and she believed that the most important work she would do within her life was within the walls of her own home with her children,” Jason told ceremony attendees. “She always made it a special place for each of them to feel loved and to begin to achieve their full potential.”
Friends serenaded the crowd with a lineup of some of the former U.S. Rep’s favorite songs, which included Ed Sheeran’s “Supermarket Flowers.” Children of the late politician, Alessa, Abigale, and Peyton, read an op-ed published by their mother in the Deseret News, which expressed her wish for more unity among the nation. Cyndi Brito said her late sister was the best at everything and always made everyone feel important. A speech from her daughter’s elementary school Black History Month show read, “‘Mia Love played many roles and had many titles, but the most important role and the most important title that Mia Love played in my eyes was auntie.’”
Rep. Love was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2022. As previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, the former Utah mayor was surrounded by family in March as she died peacefully in her Saratoga Springs home at age 49. At the ceremony, Love’s close friend, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, recalled Love’s request to family and loved ones to rally around her like a campaign team as she faced her cancer diagnosis. “This is a campaign, and we are going to win,’” Love said, according to Henderson.
“It’s been a week since my Sweetheart’s passing, and I miss her beyond words,” said Jason in a March 30 public invitation to celebrate the life and legacy of his wife.
Love’s political legacy commenced over two decades ago after she secured her seat on the Saratoga Springs City Council as a Black Republican and Mormon woman. She made history in 2009 after she became the first Black woman to serve as Utah’s mayor. Born Ludmya Bourdeau, she was the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Love blasted President Donald Trump in 2018 over his comments about Haitian immigrants and those from El Salvador and African nations. Love urged U.S. officials to lead with compassion and honesty.
Ahead of Monday’s ceremony, state leaders paid respects to the late politician Sunday evening during a visit to the Utah Capitol, where Love’s coffin was covered in a flag and positioned behind ropes in the building’s rotunda.
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