Gary Joseph Willey-1936-2019 -passed away suddenly, after a short illness Monday, January 7, at home. A creative and innovative land developer and eternal optimist, Gary lived by the code- "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve." He was born to Rudell T. and Lillian A. Willey, June 15,1936 and raised in Ogden on a row crop farm by the "most loving parents a boy could have." Celebration of his life: Jan. 19, 2019, 11:00 a.m. Rock Chapel-2455 N. Valley View Dr. Layton, UT (link to mortuary's online obituaries)
Gary is survived by his two sons: Todd (Lisa) and Shaun (Kris) (Amy), twelve grandchildren: Ashley, Cortney, Shayna, Anisha, Jaden, Jeremy, Preston, Nick, Konrad, Annie, Andy, Mia and, six great-grandchildren, his brother Rudell (Barbara), of Kaysville, his brother-in-law Richard Penrod, of Hooper, many wonderful nieces and nephews and countless friends. He was proceeded in death by his beloved sister, Lois (Richard) and their parents.
He was sealed to Jean Miller, December 11,1959, in the Salt Lake City, LDS Temple. Together, they had two sons, Todd and Shaun. They later divorced. In 1975, he married Lynda Roundy who battled cancer and passed away in 1979. Gary spent 17 happy years of his life with Luanne Waters, travelling the world with her. She was a kind and loving partner and caregiver, Gary passed in her arms. Gary also counted Heather Deavono McKeehan as his daughter and Landon, Hunter and Bronson (Luanne's sons) as his own.
Gary was raised in Weber County and attended Weber High, Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. He served a mission to Australia, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was while serving in Australia, that he discovered his love of travelling and set a goal of travelling to 100 countries. Gary ultimately travelled to over 100 countries and was creating new travel plans when he passed.
Gary travelled Europe and hunted in Alaska with his sons. His favorite countries were Italy, especially Lake Como and Switzerland. Gary always wondered how he could, "Possibly be so lucky and blessed to enjoy his house boat on Lake Powell, travel from Midway to Brighton on 4-wheelers for lunch, ski in Switzerland, climb the pyramids, ride a camel to the Red Sea and elephants in India, sleep with Aborigines in the Outback of Australia and explore 20 African countries."
In his early 20's Gary set a goal to design a small community during his lifetime. He reached that goal in 2005, when he established the North Village in the Heber Valley. Gary's passion was in designing and building custom homes and buildings. He built thousands of apartments and over 20 hotels. Gary also consulted on hotels throughout the United States. He employed thousands of people while developing in 5 western states, which gave him many friends throughout the country. Gary loved life and his work, even when the Real Estate business was difficult during the Savings and Loan Crisis and the recession of 2007.
Gary was charismatic and had a contagious laugh, those characteristics along with his boundless energy drew people to him. He was a captivating story teller and enjoyed listening to the stories that others would share. Gary was generous and loved to provide unique experiences for family and friends. Gary lived a remarkable life. In a note, he wrote, "How blessed can one man be?" "I have loved life to its fullest and have had a wonderful family and many lifelong friends."
