Leonard “Dale” Elton

1935 ~ 2023


Leonard “Dale” Elton was born to Alfred and Eleanor Elton on October 25, 1935, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dale died on April 7, 2023 at the age of 87 in Bountiful, Utah due to complications related to frontal-temporal lobe dementia. He married his wife of 65 years, Janis, on July 29, 1957 and had two children, Bret and Kathy Elton.

Dale was an avid skier and loved to ski at Alta Ski Resort. He was a long-distance runner and completed many marathons during his running career. He loved to collect coins and also enjoyed collecting salt and pepper shakers. Dale spent many hours camping, fishing, and riding motorcycles with family and friends and was always up for an adventure.

Dale grew up in Sugarhouse on Garfield Avenue and later raised his children in the same home. He attended South High School and graduated in 1954. He returned to school as an adult and graduated from Weber State University in 1970 with his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. He was always a “true purple” fan of Weber State.

Dale spent his career in law enforcement and loved his work every day, he was known to say “I would do this even if I wasn’t getting paid.” He started his career with the Salt Lake City Police Department in 1957 and retired in 1985 with the rank of Major (Assistant Chief). He was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety for the state of Utah and served in this capacity until 1987. In 1987, he accepted a position with the Rocky Mountain Information Network in Phoenix, Arizona, and served as the director of this organization for 10 years. He retired from law enforcement in 1997 after 40 years of service.

After his retirement from law enforcement, he and Janis returned to live in Salt Lake City, Utah to be closer to family. He spent his years in retirement helping neighbors, volunteering for his church food bank, having coffee with the “old cops”, and spending time with friends and family.

Dale is survived by his wife Janis, his children Bret (Shannon) and Kathy, his grandchildren Quincie, Tanner (Michelle), and his great-granddaughter Zella Rose.

Dale was preceded in death by his parents, sister Joyce Wiggins and brother Douglas Elton.

The family would like to thank Sara and Dallin from Utah Home Health and Hospice for their loving and dedicated help in caring for Dale the past 10 months.

Services will be held on Friday, April 14, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Larkin Mortuary Downtown, 260 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. Friends and family may visit from Noon until 1:00 pm. For those unable to attend, services will be streamed via Zoom. Please click on the watch services button above. You must be signed in to your Zoom account to view.



Guestbook/Condolences

God bless my uncle Dale he was a great uncle he enriched my youth with his kindness and hospitality. He was the best and he will be truly missed.


- Bill Sparks

Lenny Dale was the ultimate leader at the Police Department. He was there when it was still fun and a joy to work for the department. Between him and Chief Willoughby it was an honor to work with them. However he had a great sense of humor and he knew how to use it. There are many stories but he truly was a leader and I appreciated everything I learned from him. May he rest in peace now.


- Laura Beckstead

I worked with him at RMIN and when we were transferred to another state we traveled together. He was an excellent person, friend, and boss. I have been blessed to have in my life and great love for him and Janis.


- Renae Lewis