Jack Harvey Pitts

Jack Harvey Pitts passed away peacefully on October 9, 2026, surrounded by the family he loved deeply.

Jack was born on October 25, 1937, in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, to George Pitts and Amelia Steward Pitts. He spent the first ten years of his life in England, surrounded by his mother's large extended family and many loving and attentive aunts and uncles. He remembered those early years with great fondness, despite the hardships and uncertainties of growing up during World War II. He was named after his uncle Jack Steward, who was killed in action in Belgium on January 4, 1945. Perhaps not surprisingly, he maintained a lifelong fascination with the history of the war he had experienced as a child.

In 1948, Jack immigrated with his parents to the United States, crossing the Atlantic aboard the Queen Mary. Seeking new opportunities and wishing to live closer to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the family settled in the Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jack attended West High School, where he met his future wife, Sandra Jensigne Schettler. The two became high school sweethearts and often met on the 4th Avenue steps, near Sandra's home on East Capitol Boulevard, to walk to school together. Their youthful romance that began when they were 16 years old would become a lifelong partnership.

After high school, Jack proposed to Sandra, and they became engaged before he departed to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Initially called to serve in the Southern United States, Jack felt strongly that he was meant to return to his native England. Accompanied by his father, Jack took his original mission call back to the Church headquarters to ask that his assignment be reconsidered. His request was granted, and he received a new call to serve in Northern England.

During his mission, Jack had the opportunity to serve in his hometown of Bradford, renew family ties, and teach and baptize several family members. It was a particularly meaningful chapter in his life, bringing him back to the people and places he loved as a child.

Upon returning from his mission, Jack married his sweetheart, Sandra, in the Salt Lake Temple on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1961. Together, they raised three daughters and welcomed five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. They made their home in the Avenues, the same Salt Lake City neighborhood where Jack had first settled after arriving in America, and where they both grew up.

Jack trained as a machinist and spent most of his professional career at the University of Utah, working first in the Department of Chemistry and later in the Department of Physics. He retired in 2001. His skill and ingenuity extended well beyond his professional work. In his home workshop—the family garage—he kept a metal lathe, a band saw, and an assortment of machines and tools with which he built model steam engines and pursued countless other projects. Resourceful, capable, and endlessly practical, Jack believed in doing things himself and could be counted on to repair, build, or improve almost anything.

Jack and Sandra shared a love of travel and adventure. They returned to Europe several times throughout their marriage and took their daughters on trips across the United States, creating lasting family memories along the way. Jack especially loved nature and the outdoors, and he enjoyed camping with family and friends in the beautiful landscapes of Utah. Among his favorite destinations were Island in the Sky, Wagon Road Ridge, and Moon Lake.

He also shared his outdoor skills, practical knowledge, and love of adventure with generations of young men through more than ten years of service as a Scoutmaster. His dedication to Scouting became one of the things for which he was especially well known and appreciated in his neighborhood.

Jack's commitment to his faith and to serving others continued throughout his life. He and Sandra served a mission together in Johannesburg, South Africa, where they worked with disadvantaged communities, helping individuals find employment and establish small businesses. It was another opportunity for the couple to combine their love of service with their interest in people and places beyond their own community.

Above all, Jack was a gentleman. He treated family, friends, and strangers alike with kindness, courtesy, and respect. He had little patience for coarse language and, upon hearing even a single swear word, would sometimes remark, with characteristic humor, "I thought I was back in the military."

Jack was honest, hardworking, dependable, and a man of unwavering integrity. His close friend Ed Fasy once offered this memorable assessment of his character: "You could leave your wife and your wallet with him, come back a year later, and everything would be as you left it."

Those who knew Jack will remember his quiet goodness, his capable hands, his adventurous spirit, and the steadfast love and loyalty he showed to the people in his life.

Jack is survived by his three daughters, Angela Brooks (Terry), Elizabeth Pitts, and Laura Ricks (Steve); his sister, Susan Lloyd (Glen); five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Sandra, and his parents, George and Amelia Pitts.

A private graveside service will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2026, followed by a Celebration of Life reception from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Hilltop Ward chapel, 589 East 18th Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103.