David Lee Shell

David Lee Shell was born, April 24,1943, into a home that was thrilled to welcome a beautiful blue eyed baby boy after the hard loss of a beloved child. He had an older sister Rita, two older brothers Bobby and Richard who spoiled him rotten. He was their “peaches and cream”. This blue eyed boy grew up in the fields and streets of Indianapolis his adventures in his youth was shooting anything that moved or could be made into a target. He fished and canoed the rivers also waterskiing the lakes his childhood was one without boundaries.

He began working at a young age first planting tomato seedlings, picking veggies of all types in the summers. Dave worked an entire summer at a farm at 15 to purchase his very first car. He was proud of that car even though he was still too young to drive it. One day he came home from school to discover his parents had sold his car to pay bills, he was hurt yet he did not despise his parents. This was the type of man he was. Sometimes hard decisions are made and you go on.

You know those blue eyes, Joyce Ann Ellis fell hard for them when she bumped her lunch tray into his at school until he noticed her. He did notice her and they were never apart since those early school years the two of them were a great team. They have often been called the cutest couple ever, by complete strangers as they walked through life holding hands. They were married Aug 5, 1962.

Dave was a hands-on father to David, Vanisha and Jaclyn. He loved holding babies and could always calm a restless child. He could also hold you when you had a broken heart, were needing his strength and advice, those strong loving arms around us will be missed. He taught us to hike, to ride motorcycles, water ski, play tennis, ride horses, ski, fish, hunt, roof a house, put up drywall, measure within a 16th or even a 32nd of an inch, restore a car, change a tire, etc, with our dad we felt we could do anything.

Dave did not just have a testimony of Jesus Christ he was a disciple of Christ by serving those around him. Dave would be the first in the neighborhood to take down a dangerous tree, to help pour the concrete, to clean snow off all walks. Dave also was scout leader taking boys on challenging not always safe adventures, the parents worried and the boys loved and even survived the trips teaching them to thrive when life becomes difficult.

Dave had a keen mind and books were always a part of his life. He read voraciously for fun reading 4+ books a week his entire life. Dave somehow knew instinctively how to do most things but if he didn’t he referred to his books to teach him how to do or fix just about anything. He was our woodworker, plumber, brick mason, roofer, wood floor layer, cabinet maker, concrete layer, car mechanic and more. Dave used his knowledge of how to make or do just about anything to bless the lives of his family, friends and neighbors.

Dave was an Ironworker by trade and built many of the bridges and buildings throughout Utah and the west. He had no fear of heights walking the beams just like he was walking on the ground. He was proud of his work, especially the temples he constructed. Somewhere on all of these buildings and bridges you will find his signature, sometime in the future people will wonder who David Shell was.

Retirement was not one of laying around. He volunteered at a community farm that fed those in need growing thousands of pounds of produce. He spent hours in the sky flying his plane, actually he built another plane called the Mighty Mouse. Dave was the first person his children and grandchildren called to build or remodel their homes and all of us have something he built for us in our homes. We had the ideas and he executed them beautifully.

David Lee Shell’s passing (April 27,2026) has left us heartbroken but forever inspired by the larger than life in which he led. He leaves behind his wife Joyce Ann Shell, children David and Heather Shell, Vanisha and Bruce Griggs, Jaclyn and Jason Vincent. Grandchildren, Jacob Griggs, Alex and Preston Hansen, Dottie and Kasey Silva, Madison and Zach Jenson, Dacota Shell, Jaxson Vincent, Delaney Shell, Salomon Vincent, Beckham Vincent, Great grandchildren, Reagan and Graham Hansen, William, Charlotte, Eloise, Tommy and Jack Jenson and Aubrey and Morgan Silva.

To view David's service online via Zoom, please click the blue tab above that says "Watch Services".