Alan Roy Fereday

Alan Roy Fereday passed away suddenly on January 7th, 2024, at the age of 61. He is survived by his wife, Lisa; their seven children, Jessica, Jonathan, Robert, Stephen, Samuel, Sarah, and Gabriel; five grandchildren, Darius, December (Mars), Gemma, Freya, and one on the way; and many extended family and friends.

Alan was born March 13th, 1962, to Gary and Carma Fereday and was the third of ten children. He grew up in the Cottonwood Heights area of the Salt Lake valley. From 1981-1982, he served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the West Hamburg, Germany, mission. His children heard a great many stories of his experiences there, mostly how he played minor jokes on members and ate enough yogurt in a single sitting to drown a cat. Upon his return to the States, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard as an aircraft mechanic.

In 1985 Alan attended a stake single adult activity in Virginia. It was there that he met Lisa Hall. Following a nine-month courtship–most of it long distance–they were married in the Washington DC Temple on March 15th, 1986. They spent their honeymoon in Salt Lake City and had to duck away from well-meaning family members intruding on their trip.

Over the next 15 years, Alan and Lisa welcomed seven children and weathered many challenges together. The family was transferred cross-country by the Coast Guard multiple times. Alan retired from the Coast Guard in 2004. In 2006 the family moved to Utah.

Alan was always learning new things and trying out new hobbies. He had a decided mechanical bent, and was knowledgeable in plumbing, electrical work, computer hardware, car engines, and more. He was also an avid outdoorsman, frequently filling the freezer with venison, elk, bear–and on one memorable occasion, skunk. As he got older, he still frequently went hunting and fishing.

Alan was one of those people who was good at pretty much everything he attempted. He carved love spoons and taxidermied a goose, for example. One year for Mother’s Day, he told Lisa he would be spending a few days helping his mother-in-law with a home improvement project– in fact, he was sewing a custom dress for his wife. Lisa was floored, and incredibly pleased. She still has the dress.

Alan was the undisputed master of Dad Jokes. He was especially fond of puns, the cringier the better. Often dinner conversation would devolve into who could make the best pun, although he almost always won.

Alan was a lot of things to a lot of people, but to his children he was Dad. He taught them to drive stick-shift and how to make bread. He was always willing to help with home maintenance struggles. They got a lot of their sense of humor from him. To his grandchildren, he was Papa, always ready to play and be silly with them. His broad smile and his firm hugs will be missed.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3555 West 5620 South, Taylorsville, Utah. There will be a visitation from 10:30 to 11:45 am, prior to the services. For those unable to attend, services will be streamed via Zoom. Please click on the watch services link above.