REED HILL THATCHER was born on July 10, 1933, to Walter Alva and Erma Hill Thatcher, and passed beyond the veil to be reunited with them, on February 4, 2017. Reed was raised on a small farm on West Mountain, near Payson, Utah, where, from a very early age, he worked milking cows, thinning beets, and \"tromping hay.\" He summed up his feelings about farm life in a short poem:
I\ve helped scratch out a living from this poor, rocky dirt
Built up a few muscles, and learned how to work
When I leave this old farm, I sure hope I can find
Some job where they\ll pay me for using my mind!
He did leave the \"old farm\" to join the Army, and got shipped off to Germany for two years, before coming home to marry his sweetheart, Gloria Hiatt, in the Salt Lake Temple. Together, they raised three children, Brent, Randy and Becky, and were eventually blessed with seven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
He spent most of his career in public education, as a wood-shop instructor, a counselor, an administrator, and finally as the Director of Vocational Education for the Jordan School District, where he was instrumental in launching the Jordan District Technical Center.
While his commitment to education was resolute, his true love was always woodworking. He built two separate homes from the foundation up, as an extreme form of \sweat equity,\ before he was 35. He always said that he just loved the smell of sawdust, and would spend hours in his basement shop, making handcrafted furniture, lamps, jewelry boxes, wooden tongue-drums, and the like. After retiring from education, he worked for several years in a cabinet mill, enjoying the sweet smell of sawdust every day.
He was the official family photographer and videographer, capturing and chronicling family events for decades.
Reed is survived by his wife, Gloria Hiatt Thatcher; two of his children, Randal Bruce Thatcher (Shari) and Becky Thatcher Nielsen (Glade); his two sisters, Ruth Elmer and Vonda Hudson; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents; his son, Brent; his two brothers, Glen and Nyle; his sister, Norma Patten; and his grandson, Ryan Nielsen.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, on Friday, February 10, at the Highland 7th Ward building (10115 S. Yorkshire Dr. In South Jordan), with a viewing beforehand, from 10:00 to 10:45 AM. Interment at the Payson City Cemetery.
