Douglas Lynn Wyler

Douglas Lynn Wyler, age 82, of Saratoga Springs, Utah, passed away peacefully at his home on May 8, 2026.

Born August 26, 1943, in Tacoma, Washington, to Glen Hanks Wyler and Leola Jensen, Doug grew up in Murray, Utah. Active in Scouting from a young age and deeply influenced by his Scout leaders, he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Southern California Mission, which covered parts of Arizona and Nevada. He often recounted his mission experiences and the many opportunities they provided, sharing them fondly with his grandchildren and anyone who would listen.

After returning home, he worked as a lifeguard at Murray Park, where he met the love of his life, fellow lifeguard Kaye Weeks. They married in September 1967 in the Salt Lake Temple.

At the University of Utah, Doug was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Biology in 1968. The couple moved to San Francisco, where he graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, dental school in 1971. They settled in Diamond Bar, California, and Doug built a successful dental practice in San Dimas that he operated for 46 years.

Together, Doug and Kaye raised four amazing children. Doug remained deeply involved in Scouting throughout his life. In 1984, he was honored with the Silver Beaver Award. He mentored generations of young men, helping shape them into men of strong character. Many of those Scouts stayed in touch with him for decades afterward.

A lifelong learner, Doug earned a Master’s degree in Forensic Sciences from National University in San Diego. In the 1980s, he connected with Wilford Griggs and began working with Brigham Young University’s Department of Ancient Studies. He made multiple trips to Egypt, where he excavated and studied mummies. His passion for this work earned him the personalized license plate “MUMYMAN” with a frame that read “I DIG OLD BODIES.”

He helped identify bodies after the Cerritos airplane crash in August 1986, and again following the LA riots in 1993. He also traveled to Bosnia after the war in the 1990s to teach local authorities how to identify bodies based on dental records.

In 2003, Doug completed a second Master’s degree in Biological Anthropology from California State University, Fullerton, where he was mentored by Dr. Judy Suchey. This mentorship led to him assisting with body identifications for the Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles County Coroner’s Offices. He taught detective training courses for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Doug retired from dentistry in 2017 and moved to Saratoga Springs, Utah, to be closer to family. He became a popular guest speaker at the University of Utah’s Science Day for high school students. Prior to retiring, he frequently gave firesides and presentations about Egypt and Central and South American archaeology, including how those findings supported the Book of Mormon, to church groups, family, and friends. His grandchildren especially loved it when he visited their classrooms to teach about Egypt.

He was an avid skier, scuba diver, surfer, health enthusiast, and loyal University of Utah Utes fan. He loved camping (though not at the beach) and had a great admiration for James Bond — he even went to the length of creating a hidden room in his house, which he proudly called his “James Bond room.”

Doug always had a joke or a story to tell — and if you spent more than five minutes with him, you were guaranteed to leave either laughing or armed with a tale you couldn’t wait to repeat. If you knew Doug, you loved him. He had a rare gift for quickly connecting with anyone and making them feel completely at ease — a talent his dental patients especially appreciated right before he came at them with a 4-inch needle.

One of the highlights of his distinguished career was assisting in solving the Jamie Trotter murder case under the guidance of Dr. Judy Suchey, a 17-year-old cold case in which he used his expertise in anthropology and forensic dentistry to help identify the victim’s remains. The case was featured on the television show Cold Case Files.

Doug is survived by his wife of 58 years, Kaye Weeks Wyler; his son, Bryan Wyler; his daughters, Cheri (Dave) Merkley, Aimee (Ryan) Kartchner, and Jodi Hall; his sister, Rhonda Snarr (Danny); his nieces and nephews; 13 grandchildren; and 3 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his son-in-law, Ryan Hall.