Randall Aubrey Mackey

Randall Aubrey Mackey passed away peacefully on August 20, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah, surrounded by his family. Randall was born on December 1, 1945, in Salt Lake City to Donald Aubrey and Marjorie Warshaw Mackey. He enjoyed an idyllic childhood growing up in Salt Lake City as the oldest of five children. Randall loved his parents and his siblings, and cherished close relationships with them throughout his life.

As a child, Randall was bright, with a quick sense of humor, a drive for excellence in everything he undertook, and an appropriate amount of twinkly-eyed mischief. He excelled in academics, particularly mathematics. At his parents’ encouragement, Randall was involved in a wide variety of sports and other extracurricular activities during his youth, and he particularly enjoyed playing basketball, tennis, baseball, and piano. He developed a strong work ethic while working a variety of jobs — everything from inventory pricing to stocking shelves to cashier work — at Grand Central Stores, a chain of retail stores founded by his grandfather. He enjoyed backyard barbecues and swimming in his family’s pool; attending Utah Symphony performances with his mother, which instilled a lifelong love of classical music in him; and playing Canasta with his grandfather, who regaled Randall with stories of his Russian-Jewish roots of which Randall was always very proud. A favorite childhood memory was flying in a small plane piloted by his parents, both of whom had a pilot’s license, to the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

After graduating from Olympus High School in Salt Lake City, where he played on the basketball team, Randall attended the University of Utah. There, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Afterwards, he earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, followed by a J.D. from Columbia Law School. While a law student, Randall met and fell in love with Margaret Weilenmann, who was based in New York City as a flight attendant and also hailed from Salt Lake City. They married in 1974, and were married one week shy of 50 years at the time of Randall’s death. After graduating from law school, Randall and Margaret moved to England, where Randall earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from the University of Oxford, and where their oldest daughter, Marie, was born. During these academic adventures, Randall developed rich friendships that endured throughout his lifetime.

Upon his graduation, Randall and Margaret returned to Utah for a brief stint where their second daughter, Katherine, was born. They subsequently moved to Washington, D.C., for two years, where Randall practiced law and where they welcomed their son, Matthew, before settling in Salt Lake City to be closer to their families. There, Randall practiced law downtown, and they had five more children: Sarah, Elizabeth, John, Marjorie, and David. While building a busy career as a highly regarded corporate and securities lawyer, Randall prioritized his family. He drove his children to school every day when they were young, and consistently attended music and dance performances, sporting events, and parent teacher conferences. His children remember doing homework alongside him, or falling asleep under his desk, at his downtown office while he worked late into the night, and drawing pictures during Constitutional Law classes he taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Utah Law School. He loved talking *with* his family and *about* them; they were an immense source of joy to him.

Randall loved learning and the continual pursuit of education; he was an avid reader and accumulated an impressive book collection. He served on numerous educational committees, across many institutions. Among these roles, he served as regional director and committee member of the Harvard Alumni Association, and as president and a director of the Harvard Alumni Association of Utah. He loved visiting Harvard campus regularly and taking the Utah students to ice cream at Herrell’s in Harvard Square. He was appointed by the governor to serve on the Utah State Board of Education. He was also a proponent of technical education, and served as chair of the Salt Lake Community College Board of Trustees.

Randall had enormous appreciation for the arts and was active in organizations supporting them. He loved listening to classical music on public radio. While driving his children to school, he would offer them a dollar if they could name the composer whose work was playing on the radio. For many years, he served as a trustee of Ballet West, Utah Opera, and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, and as a director of the Utah Arts Council. He had season tickets to the Utah Opera for over 30 years, and frequently attended Utah Symphony, Ballet West, and Utah Shakespeare Festival performances. Randall was also active in supporting civic and political organizations. Among them, he served as an executive board member of the Salt Lake Pioneer Chapter of the National Society of the Sons of Utah Pioneers.

Randall was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many capacities. He forged wonderful friendships through his many assignments, including as bishop of a student ward, member of a stake presidency, and branch president of an inner-city congregation. As branch president, he spent countless hours resolving issues with landlords, helping people post bail, and coordinating treatment programs for those who struggled with addiction. He enjoyed hosting the congregation for Christmas and Thanksgiving as well as special outings.

Outside of his work and service, Randall enjoyed playing basketball two to three times per week with friends, which he did up until two years ago, hiking in the Tetons, and reading the Book of Mormon and the New York Times. His family doesn’t remember him ever saying an unkind word about anyone. He truly saw the best in people.

Above all, Randall adored and doted on his family. He was particularly grateful for his wife, Margaret, who was a supportive partner and companion in all of his endeavors. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; his eight children: Marie Mackey, Katherine Mackey, Matthew Mackey, Sarah Mackey Moss (Brad), Elizabeth Mackey (Kimball Parker), John Mackey, Marjorie Mackey, and David Mackey (Shriti Pradhan); and seven grandchildren as well as one prospective grandchild: Abigail (17), William (14), Samuel (12), Jack (9), and Henry (7) Moss; and Amelia (7), Charles (5), and baby girl-to-be Parker. He is also survived by his four siblings: Corinne Cannon (George), Cynthia Eldredge (Brent), Shauna Angerbauer, and Russ Mackey (Jill), as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to thank the Intermountain Homecare & Hospice and the Capitol Hill Memory Care Center caregivers who provided compassionate care to Randall as his health declined.

Funeral services for Randall will be held Saturday, September 7th, at 11 a.m. at the Bonneville Stake Center, 1535 Bonneview Drive, SLC. Viewings will be held Friday, September 6th, from 5-7 p.m. at 1172 East 100 South, SLC, and Saturday, September 7th, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Bonneville Stake Center. Services will be broadcast live on Larkin Mortuary's website. Interment will be at the Salt Lake Cemetery.

Given Randall’s broad involvement in educational, cultural, and other community matters, instead of flowers please consider donating to the charity of your choice.