Steven Frank Sallay

Steven Frank Sallay of South Jordan, Utah, passed away at 70 years of age suddenly and unexpectedly at home on the morning of April 14, 2023. Steven was born on January 12, 1953, in Los Angeles, California, to Hungarian immigrant Anton Sallay and Betty Kovach. He and his older brother, Jeff, attended elementary school at the First Lutheran School in Temple City, California. Steven enjoyed growing up in Southern California where he could go to the beach or watch Sandy Koufax pitch at Dodger Stadium.

When he was seven, his mother passed away. When his father remarried two and half years later in 1963, it was decided that it would be best to send both boys to the Elsinore Naval and Military School, an all-boys boarding school in Lake Elsinore, California. Steven made the best of his situation by participating in several activities and received numerous honors in his time there. He stood out academically, making the principal’s list each year for having a grade point average above a B+ and was the class valedictorian in 8th grade and his senior year. He also excelled at sports, spending one year on the track and football teams, three on the varsity basketball team (where he was the team captain his senior year), and four on the baseball team. In 1969, he received the school’s most improved athlete award. He was also recognized for being disciplined and honorable and was elected to the school’s honor board, which investigated cadet violations of the school’s honor code, serving as its chairman his senior year. He also enjoyed music and played drums on the school’s drum and bugle corp, including being the band leader his junior year.

After graduating, he joined the US Air Force. During basic training he took missionary discussions and was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Soon after he was assigned to Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) near Las Vegas, Nevada. Within a year of his arrival at Nellis, 19-year old Steven met and married Nan Anderson (née Janes). They had two children, but after three and a half years, they were divorced.

A few months later after a young adult fireside, Iva Louise Hafen overheard a young man joking about how since he worked in surgery, he could get all sorts of body parts for the spook alley at an upcoming Halloween event. Iva did not know Steven was joking and told everyone the specimens in the spook alley would be real (though he was certainly fond of dad jokes, it is worth noting that he had much more in his sense of humor). Iva did not have a driver’s license and a month later, Steven offered to teach her how to drive a stick. Her trying to learn that skill was a disaster, but they continued to see each other, became engaged, and married in the Los Angeles temple on April 26, 1977.

Steven served as a surgical service technician in the Air Force for 21 years and 7 months. During his service, he maintained his good character, even being awarded the Air Force’s Good Conduct Medal, which is awarded for exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity, with six oak clusters—each representing an additional period of good conduct. He continued learning, completing basic training at Lackland AFB near San Antonio and later completing study at the Noncommissioned Officers (NCO) Academy and NCO Leadership School and was a NCO Professional Military Education Graduate. Those who knew him outside of the military might be surprised to learn that he was an expert marksman, having been awarded the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with 1 device, indicating he was an expert at both handguns and M-16 rifles.

Iva and he had two children born in Las Vegas, where he remained active in learning, graduating in 1980 Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Management/Health Care through a correspondence degree from Park College in Missouri, and in athletics, primarily on the church’s softball team where he was selected to the stake all-star team in 1978 and was on the team that won the inaugural Nevada state championship. In 1981 the Air Force moved the family to Langley AFB in Virginia, where two more children were born. They remained there until 1985 when the family was moved yet again to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey for two years, for which he was awarded the Overseas Short Tour Ribbon and Air Force Achievement Medal, before being sent to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma, where one last child was born, and he finished out his military service. Though never deployed, he served in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm from 1990 to 1991, for which he received the National Defense Service Medal. Upon retiring, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Throughout his career, he also received the Outstanding Unit Award (with two oak leaf clusters, each representing an additional award period), and the Longevity Service Award Ribbon (with four oak leaf clusters, each representing an additional award period).

In 1993 he completed a Masters Degree in computer science from Oklahoma City University, and upon retiring from the Air Force as a Master Sergeant moved the family to Utah, ultimately finding their home in South Jordan. He found work as a computer programmer for the surgical department at LDS Hospital, a job that seemed to be custom designed for him and his background in both surgery and computer programming. In 1998 at age 45, he survived a heart attack. That year he also invited his 85-year old Uncle Paul to come live in his home which he did until his death 7 ½ years later. A few years later he was able to finally meet his Aunt Betty who lived in Maryland and had been estranged from his family before he was born. It was a thrill to exchange pictures, listen to her stories, and get to know her a little before she passed away a few months later.

In 2006 when LDS Hospital eliminated his job, he decided to go back to school to update his skills. He took this opportunity to study at Neumont University and completed a degree in 2009, which ultimately turned into work for Altius, Aetna, and later Zions Bank where he was excited to apply his computer skills outside the healthcare industry and where he was able to work on a great team instead of working mostly by himself. Outside of work, he enjoyed playing classical guitar, birdwatching, traveling to spend time with his grandchildren, cooking, watching science fiction TV shows, serving at church (including serving in the Salt Lake Intercity Mission), and spending time with Iva. Steven loved attending the temple and served as an ordinance worker in the Jordan River temple when his health permitted it. He loved Jesus and made a point to study the scriptures each and every day and checked on Iva encouraging her to do the same. We are confident that meeting his Savior has been a joyous event.

In 2018, Steven and Iva got to travel to Hungary with some of their children, and he was able to visit the towns and villages where his parents and grandparents were from, including getting to meet several second cousins in Igazfalva (today Dumbrava, County Timiș, Romania), where his father was born. A year after that trip, when it was announced that a temple would be built in Budapest, he immediately started studying Hungarian on Duolingo, hoping to someday be an ordinance worker there. Exactly one week before his death, he officially retired from work and planned to spend more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren, time which now will be dearly missed by those he has left behind. He is survived by his wife, Iva Louise Sallay; his brother, Jeffrey Ernest Sallay (Penny Kay Sullivan); his children Peter Allen (Julayne Frances Goodfellow), Elizabeth, Brent Michael (Michelle Marie Evans), David Christopher (Lyssa Kiri Knudsen), Timothy Steven (Christina Marie Rhodes), John Anthony (Valerie Susanne Storey), and Kathleen Michelle (Mark John) Bailey; and his 18 grandchildren: Nathaniel James, Stella Marie, Chloe Beth, Christian Sándor, Nellie Elizabeth, Lily Victoria, Charlotte Emilia, Rowan Timothy, Emília Grace, Oliver Benjamin, Nicholas Harvey, Vivien Song-jia, Desmond István, Louise Michelle, Bodhi James, Henry Paul, Charles John, and Eleanor Tamara. That’s 9 grandsons and 9 granddaughters with the tie-breaker (a granddaughter) due in July.

Funeral services will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building at 1988 W 11400 S, South Jordan, Utah, on Wednesday, April 26, at 11am. There will be visitation for family and friends prior to the service from 9:30 to 10:45 am. There will be a viewing the evening before from 6 to 8pm, also at the church building. A Zoom link will be available here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87670945542. A free Zoom account is required and you will need to sign in to join the service.

Following the service, interment will take place at the Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park, located at 17111 South Camp Williams Road, Bluffdale, Utah.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Disabled American Veterans. We are also checking to see if it is possible to donate to the Budapest Temple Building Fund.