W. Scott Thomas passed away surrounded by his children on March 17, 2023 at the age of 80 after a short battle with cancer. He was born to Elmer and Vera Thomas on June 22, 1942 in a small two room house in Menan, Idaho. He was raised as farm boy where he learned the pattern of hard work from his father and grandfather as he milked cows, raised steer, watered crops, stacked hay, and used farm machinery. He attended the National Boy Scout Jamboree in 1957 and was a class officer, intramural captain, and served in FFA in high school.
When he returned from serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the British Mission, he married Sherrie Lee Bean on Friday, November 13th, 1964 in the Idaho Falls Temple. He received an Associates Degree at Ricks College followed by a BS in History and Psychology at USU and later a Masters Degree at the University of Utah. They moved to Salt Lake City where he began his 35 year teaching career at East Millcreek Elementary and Calvin S. Smith Elementary where he thoroughly enjoyed his time with many 5th and 6th grade students. He said one of his proudest achievements was to have the opportunity to teach and get to know hundreds of fantastic young people. In recent years, he was able to reconnect with many of his old students, some even hosting a small reunion for him that he referred to as “one of the highlights of my life.” These renewed relationships were a source of great joy to him during the sunset of his life. Our family wants each of these students to know how much they meant to him.
Scott spent many years serving in various positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and in the Boy Scouts of America. He has many cherished memories of his Scouts camping, hiking, and fishing and loved to tell hilarious stories of the crazy things these young scouts did. He was honored with a District Award of Merit in 1993.
Scott loved his grandchildren. He would tell the same stories over and over again about some funny thing one of them did and he’d get a little chuckle every time. He also loved his little dog Toby and enjoyed his daily walks with him where he would become instant friends with a new neighbor or find some recipient of the day’s yield of zucchinis or tomatoes.
Scott lovingly served Sherrie for many years as her health declined and was constantly by her side until she passed away in March of 2021. He cherished the 56 years of marriage spending time together and with children and grandchildren.
Scott is preceded in death by his wife, Sherrie, parents, Elmer and Vera Thomas, and his sisters Julia Hawker and Brenda Funk. He is survived by his son Bret (Heidi), son Jeff (Rosemary), daughter Heidi (Creed) Miller, daughter Heather (Matt) Robertson, 17 grandchildren and six great grandchildren and his brothers Rick (Charlene) Thomas and Brent (Carla) Thomas.
A viewing for family and friends will be held on Friday, March 24, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 East 10600 South, Sandy, UT and Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM prior to the funeral services which will begin at 11:00 AM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints chapel located at 8945 South 1700 East, Sandy, UT. Interment will be at Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery. The family invites those unable to attend to join by selecting “Watch Services” above when the service begins. A recording will also be available shortly after the service.
In lieu of flowers, Scott’s wishes were to have you take your family out to dinner.
Scott has been an amazing example of service and kindness. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.
Love Dean and Ellen and Family.
Mr. Thomas was my 6th grade teacher. Years later, much to my surprise… he popped up at my wedding. I married Jordan Castleton, who was a neighbor of his for many years. We shared laughs and I’ll never forget him saying, “It’s not everyday that you go to a wedding and know both parties well.” From that day forward, we kept in touch and I made sure to send a Christmas card every year. We recently moved into his same neighborhood and made sure to say hello often and hand deliver our Christmas card and goodies each year. We will miss you Mr. Thomas. Thanks for being an amazing and kind guy. You made the world a better place!
Scott was an amazing neighbor and friend. He is loved by everyone who got to know him. He made the most delicious rolls, which we were the recipient of through the years. His garden vegetables too found their way to our table. We can't say enough about how much we loved him, Sherrie and his wonderful children. We will miss you all!!
Love, Steve and Sue Wise
So saddened about the passing of your dear Scott. Blessings of comfort prayed for you.
After reading this beautiful obituary, I can clearly see where Bret has learned to be the best he can be. William Scott's Legacy lives on in his children and especially his love for teaching and serving others as I see in Bret everyday at Alta High School. My thoughts are with your family and may God pour out his richest blessings upon all of you at this special time in your lives.
I will always remember “Mr. Thomas “ he was my very favorite teacher in elementary school. I was so lucky to have him as my 5th grade teacher!
Very fond memories. I’m sorry for your loss🙏🏻💕
We are saddened by our dear friend Scott's passing. We had many wonderful times with Scott and Sherry over almost 50 years and cherished their friendship. We send our love and sympathy to his dear family.
I am so sad to see Scott go. He was such a great man. We spent many hours serving together in the Bishopric. He was an example of devotion and commitment in all he die. We love his family and pray for their comfort at this sad time.
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Uncle Scott was a truly special person who brought joy and kindness into the lives of those around him. His positive attitude and happy demeanor will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
Please know that you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Losing someone we love is never easy, but we're happy he's reunited with Aunt Sherrie. We love you all.
Oh, how we love Scott! His warm and caring ways, his quiet chuckle, his interesting family stories, his kindness and generosity!! Above all, he nurtured and taught our beloved daughter in law, Heidi!!! Thank you, Scott! We look forward to seeing you and Sherrie again, together!!
I am saddened beyond words that last night's blizzard has blocked our roads and prevented us from attending the service. I have such wonderful memories of so many adventures with Scott, Jeff and family, from my earliest memories until just a few short years ago on our last fishing trip together with Jeff and some of our kids. Burned in my memory are his bucket fishing hat and bait box he always carried into our remote fishing spots on his long skinny feet. I will always remember Scott's quiet humility and keen sense of humor. He did not say a lot, but when he did, it was always worth listening to. A good joke, a funny story, or a wise insight. His goodness seemed to emanated from him but I never knew him to wear his virtue on his sleeve or to judge or preach to others. A wonderful man. We will miss him.
So sad to hear of Scott's passing.
I began teaching with him at Calvin Smith Elementary the first year the school opened in 1979. I continued teaching with Scott until his retirement.
Scott was one of the kindest men I know. He always saw the positive, was always encouraging and supportive of everyone. He had a great sense of humor and as a faculty we were a family where we could laugh together at the antics of our teaching day. One story that always stuck with me was about how one of his students brought a duck to class in his back back. I can still hear Scott chuckle with that wonderful grin on his face.
Scott was respectful of others whether they were students, parents or members of the faculty. He had a quiet unassuming way about him. As a faculty we were sorry when he retired early to take care of Sherrie but understood his devotion to his wife and family.
Scott will genuinely be missed by all who knew him and by the many whose lives he touched.
We were so very sorry to hear about the passing of Mr. Thomas. It was a privilege to have had the opportunity to virtually attend his service. Thank you. After hearing the stories about his life, we feel that we were able to get a glimpse into what a wonderful man he was. We are praying for you all in this next season of life.