Wayne Lyman Clawson

Wayne Lyman Clawson passed away peacefully, in his sleep, on the morning of January 11, 2026. He was born August 18, 1927, in Hyrum, Utah, the 8th of 11 children born to Vinnie Lucinda Nielsen and Alban Theodore Clawson. Wayne loved his childhood and vividly remembered adventures in the mountains, mischief with his dogs, becoming an eagle scout and working on the family farm, located on the foothills south of Blacksmith Fork Canyon. Wayne’s school years started after the harvest was done each year, and he liked to remind the family that his father was known as the best farmer in Hyrum. He graduated from South Cache High School in 1945 and was drafted into the army but sent home from Fort Douglas, on the day he reported for service, because the war in Europe had ended.

Wayne worked on the family farm and began attending college. He decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was called to the Sweden mission. He returned home, resumed his studies and then, under highly unusual circumstances, he was called to serve a second mission to Sweden. These missions became the defining experiences of his life. He loved Sweden, the Swedish people, the scriptures and the life of a missionary. On his second mission he traveled the country teaching missionaries how to succeed in their work, and his remarkable experiences in Sweden became the foundation for his life of faith.

Wayne returned home, after four and a half years of mission service, and he immediately met and married the love of his life, Betty Jo Morrow. Wayne often stated that marrying Betty Jo was the best thing he had ever done. The family they created together became the greatest achievement of their lives. He graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

Wayne was an entrepreneur and founded Clawson Interiors in Provo and, later, Galaxie Lighting in Salt Lake City. Galaxie was a family business and all the children worked in it as they grew up, not unlike the family farm of Wayne’s childhood. Lessons of customer service and business management were reinforced during the family’s nightly conversations over the dinner table. The business was a family effort and has continued on through subsequent generations.

As Wayne aged, he immersed himself in things that had become passions for him—and he enjoyed counting and keeping a record of them. He read and studied the Book of Mormon diligently, eventually reading it more than a thousand times before he began listening to it, because his vision had diminished. He also climbed Mt Olympus on a regular basis. It was essentially his backyard mountain, and he counted the times each month that he reached various heights on the multiple trails he had discovered.

Wayne greatly enjoyed his international travels, including traversing Europe and North Africa at the conclusion of his first mission in 1949; a safari in Africa with a tree-top open air bedroom; a trip around the world with a stop at the Taj Mahal in India; multiple trips with Betty Jo to Europe, Hawaii and Mexico, where he was especially fascinated by the ancient ruins; and finally, in his old age, family cruises to Sweden, Nord Kapp in Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska and Antarctica.

Wayne loved his wife, his family and his faith. He served as a missionary in multiple stake and ward callings, including at the Swedish Branch in Salt Lake City. He also served, together with Betty Jo, as a volunteer missionary at the Utah State Prison. He became a fountain of scripture knowledge, with an almost encyclopedic memory. He thoroughly believed in the existence of a Heavenly Father, the divinity of His Son, Jesus Christ, and the restoration of the fullness of the Gospel through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Wayne is survived by his five children: Wayne Jr. (Debbie) Clawson, Christi (Bruce) Mabey, Catherine (Bill) Flury, John (Julie) Clawson, Mark (Pam) Clawson, 17 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and 2 great, great grandchildren.

Services will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, January 16, 2026, at the Willow Creek 7th Ward, 2115 E. Creek Road in Cottonwood Heights. Friends may call at the church on Friday from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will be held at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park.