William C. Vriens Jr.

William C. Vriens, Jr. passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of December 7, 2025.

Bill was born on leap day, February 29, 1936, in Salt Lake City to Johanna Mellegers and William C. Vriens, Sr., the first of seven siblings. He grew up in Salt Lake City, attending Garfield Elementary, Irving Junior High, and graduating from East High School.

Bill served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to his ancestral homeland of the Netherlands and later graduated from the University of Utah School of Business.

He began his long business career working in the family business, Modern Display, where he used his education, vision, and tremendous work ethic to help grow the company from a mom-and-pop operation into one of the area’s most recognized businesses—establishing a strong foundation that his sons are privileged to carry forward today.

After seeing her photo in the newspaper, Bill finagled a date with Heidi Eldredge and, after a short courtship, somehow convinced her to marry him. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on February 11, 1966. They were blessed to be parents to seven wonderful, reasonably responsible children: Taylor (Krista), Heather Gottfredson (Dan), Allie Tate (Curtis), Angie, Holly Bludworth (Aaron), Heidi Decker (David), and Spencer (Angie). They are grandparents to 28 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, with one expected momentarily. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, five siblings, and a grandson.

Bill and Heidi served together as mission leaders of the Scotland Edinburgh Mission from 2003 to 2006. Bill loved missionary work. He vocally encouraged his posterity to serve, quietly helped fund the missions of those who wished to serve but lacked financial means, and constantly bore testimony of his gratitude for the missionaries who brought the gospel to his parents’ families in Holland. He traced all the blessings of his life back to that event and was adamant that others be given the same life-changing opportunity.

Bill loved serving in the community. He was a founding member of the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau (now Visit Salt Lake), served as president of the Deseret Foundation, and was a member of the Utah Symphony board.

He loved his garden and, to the chagrin of his children, spent much of his free time—and theirs—wearing extremely short OP corduroy shorts and a red bandana around his head as he worked to stay ahead of the weeds, plant petunias, and complain about the deer that snacked on his hard work. His love of flowers led to the addition of Ensign Wholesale Floral to the Modern Display family in 1998. To honor Bill, we encourage you to celebrate his life by displaying flowers in your home, your yard, and whenever a special occasion calls for it.

Our family is grateful for the many dear friends who cared for Bill and Heidi with such compassion, and for the tireless caregivers who have helped them 24/7 over these many months.

A visitation will be held on Friday, December 12, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Lawn Mortuary, 2350 E 1300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, and again on Saturday morning at the chapel prior to the service.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 13, at 11:00 a.m. at the Monument Park Stake Center, 1320 S Wasatch Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84108.

Those wishing to view the service can click the "Watch Service" button or follow the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/hPffWs43lsjT8uMpCWUdJF3AU9TUp3UiWnLy2a4RUIkMQx2sPVXMXDJdkaz_nnc6.nfH1FQfn8r4KxJMK?startTime=1765647091000