Gary Richard Van Horn

Gary R Van Horn

Sterling, UT

Gary R. Van Horn returned to the other side on July 27, 2018 to be with his son, Steven. He passed away at home with his loved ones in attendance. He had a long series of hospital stays from the beginning of the year. Gary was born on Columbus Day, October 12, 1935 in Spokane, Washington, to Guy Elliot and Esther Hawley Van Horn. His siblings are Ted Van Horn (Verlaine) and Claudia Mattheson (Glenn). When he was six years old, his family moved to Bellingham, Washington, where he grew up. He graduated from NM State University in 1958 in Physics and Math and later took post graduate classes at UCLA in California, in Electrical Engineering. He worked for Rocketdyne Aviation, North American Aviation at the propulsion lab in the Santa Susanna Mountains, Chatsworth working as an engineer on the rocket engine booster they were developing. He later worked as a sales rep and owned part of a sales rep company in SLC, Waugaman Associates.

He met Gloria R. Angell, his sweetheart, in 1959, who also worked for Rocketdyne in the purchasing department. They were married on July 23, 1960 (58 yrs. ago) in Van Nuys, California. They traveled to Salt Lake City to be sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on December 27, 1963. Their children are: Dawn Lakes, Kevin Van Horn, Steven Van Horn, deceased (Mindy), Valerie Opoulus (Brent), Michelle Jones, Guy Van Horn (Victoria), Susan Van Horn-Johnson (Marc) and Julie Wilson (Brett).

Gary had a great love for his country and ran for office on the Independent American Party and the Constitution Party numerous times, running for governor ofUtah, Utah House of Representatives, Senate, and various other local offices. He was a dedicated researcher on the computer/books for himself and others. He had a veracious appetite for learning. He had many church callings such as a stake mission president in Granger, Utah, an Elder’s Quorum president, was ordained a Seventy previous to moving to Sterling, and was a foster parent for students on the Indian Placement Program for eight years to three different students.

Gary was a certified scuba diver in California. He loved swimming in the ocean, and once swam, under water, holding his breath in an Olympic size swimming pool from one end to the other. He loved going to Maui, Hawaii and snorkeling the volcano rim of Molokini. He was a lover of truth and sought it out at every opportunity. Gary was the co-author of several patents while working at Univac.

He played the saxophone throughout school and had a four-piece traveling jazz band in College. He once played a violin piece "Flight of the Bumble Bee," on his sax during a recital. Gary worked on the White Sands Proving Grounds during his college years in Las Cruses, New Mexico and during this time was working on a vat full of hydrogen peroxide. The fumes dyed his hair a golden blond. He got a kick out of his new hair color and always talked about it to others.

Gary had a beautiful baritone voice and loved singing oldies and hymns to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and even sang in the church choir at one time. He was always telling corny, silly jokes.

Gary is survived by his wife, and seven of his eight children. Preceded in death by his son, Steven; parents; and grandsons: Aaron and David.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 2, 2018 at 12:00 Noon in the Sterling Ward Chapel. Family and friends may call prior to services starting at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be in the Manti City Cemetery, next to his son Steven. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti. Online guestbook at www.maglebymortuary.com