John S. Williams, 83, of Sandy, UT, passed away March 2, 2016, after a four -year struggle with his health. He was born December 17, 1932, in Mills, UT—the second of nine children born to Charles R. and Elda S. Williams. Jack was a lifelong devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He attended schools in Levan and Nephi, and graduated from Juab High School in 1951 at the top of his class. While at school, he participated in many different extracurricular activities, including boxing, FFA, chorus, seminary, and opera.
Jack served two years in the U.S. Army in Korea. He was Chief of Firing Battery in the 11th Field Artillery Battalion. He was honorably discharged in 1953.
He attended Utah State University (USU), and during his sophomore year, he had to leave school due to a medical emergency. To pay off his medical bills, he moved to Salt Lake City and got a job. While in Salt Lake, he met Nancy Arnold on a blind date. They were married 18 months later on September 19, 1958, in the Salt Lake Temple. Jack and Nancy returned to USU and attended school. Their first daughter, Diane, was born in 1959, and Jack graduated as a Civil Engineer in 1960.
Jack, Nancy, and Diane moved to Provo, where Jack worked in the Provo office of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and Nancy completed her degree at BYU. After working 15 years in the Provo office and adding three children to their family, Jack transferred to the Salt Lake office. He worked his whole career for the Bureau. During his career, he worked on many engineering projects, including dams, roads, and pipelines. He jokingly reminded his family he was the best "dam" engineer around. He retired from the Bureau of Reclamation in 1986 after 28 years of service.
True to his favorite hymn, "Have I Done Any Good?" he spent many hours of his retirement helping others. He was a "Jack" of all trades; gardening, woodworking, house design and building, sprinkler design, remodeling, welding, and the list goes on and on.
Jack held many different callings in the LDS Church, and he always magnified those callings. He spent almost 18 years as the membership clerk of the Willow Canyon 1st ward for four different bishops. He served two missions with Nancy, first at the Sandy Bishop\s Storehouse and then at the Sandy vegetable garden. He developed a great love for the scriptures and family history.
He is survived by his loving wife, Nancy, and his four children. Diane and her husband Rob Hansen and their four children Janica and Helmy Gad, Amanda Broadhead and her son Cole, Alyssa, and Jordan of Bluffdale, UT. Tonya and her husband Brent Loertscher and their four children Derek, Justin (currently serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Aguascalientes, Mexico), Emily, and Megan, of Gilbert, AZ. Annette and her husband Bruce Jenne, and their four children Austin, Savannah, Emma, and Lily of Dothan, AL. Mike and his wife Toni Williams and their three children Jack, Chelsea, and Luke of Coronado, CA.
He is also survived by brothers Neal (Patsy) Williams, Arlo (Carol) Williams, Orin (Lana) Williams, Glen (Rhoda) Williams, and Steve (Colleen) Williams; sisters Phyllis Bowman and Fae Christensen; sister-in-law Barbara Williams; brothers-in-law Leo (Lue) Arnold and Richard (Deanna) Arnold; sisters-in-law Susie (Brent) Emery and Kathleen Riley, and many loving cousins, nieces, nephews, and long-time friends.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents, Charles R. and Elda S. Williams, and Nancy's parents, Read S. and Maidie F. Arnold; beloved grandson Alex Williams; brother Leon Williams; sister-in-law Betty Williams; and brothers-in-law John Bowman and Derall Riley.
Nancy and family would like to thank the many friends and family members who visited, called, emailed, and helped during Jack\s illness. A special thank you to Darrell and Ruth Clegg for their countless hours of service and many years of friendship.
Funeral services will be held Monday, March 7, 2016, at the Indian Ridge Ward, 9636 South 1700 East, Sandy, UT at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held at the church Sunday evening 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and before the funeral services 10:00 to 10:45 a.m.
