Garth Myers

Garth Gardner Myers, M.D.

Garth Gardner Myers passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on January 4, 2011 at the age of 89. He was born in American Fork, Utah on January 12, 1921 to John Whiting and Emma Gardner Myers. Garth grew up in a home full of love and support from his parents and family. His Gardner grandparents were special to him. His parents taught him to work hard and to accept responsibility for his actions. Honesty and integrity were expected.

Garth graduated from American Fork High School and attended Brigham Young University, the University of Utah and the University of Southern California. He met his future wife, Leah Dance, at BYU. After serving faithfully in the California LDS mission, he married his sweetheart and eternal companion in the Salt Lake Temple on June 27, 1944.

Garth served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He graduated from the University of Southern California School of Medicine and specialized in Pediatrics. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Public Health Service. He was a Fellow in Pediatric Neurology with the National Institute of Neurology at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

After living in California, Georgia, Louisiana and North Carolina, Garth and Leah settled in Salt Lake City. Garth practiced as a pediatric neurologist and developed the Pediatric Neurology and Rehabilitation programs at Primary Childrens Medical Center. He developed the Birth Defects Clinic at Primary Childrens Medical Center over forty years ago. He was very dedicated and committed to the children with special healthcare needs in Utah and the Intermountain West area. He worked with the Handicapped Childrens Service of the Utah State Health Department and also had a private practice in pediatric neurology.

Garth was continuously active in the LDS Church and had a firm testimony of the gospel. He served four missions, three of them with his wife, Leah. He was very happily married for sixty-six years to a wonderful, devoted wife. He was the father of six children who he loved dearly: Leah Marie (deceased), Suzanne (Richard) Hammond, SLC; Karen (Thomas) Farmer, St. Louis, MO; Marilyn (Andrew) Smith, SLC; John (Cherilyn) Myers, SLC; and Laurie (Mark) Peterson, Antioch, CA. He had twenty-one grandchildren and twenty-five great grandchildren.

Garth is survived by five of his children. He was preceded in death by his wife, Leah; daughter, Leah Marie; parents; brother, Kenneth Myers; sisters, Helen Baxter and LaPriel Poulson; and son-in-law, Kenneth Yoho.

The family would like to thank the staff at Spring Creek Healthcare, Intermountain Hospice, especially Sunny, and Joyce, Stephanie and Sharon at Arbor Senior Care for their kind and loving care.

Funeral services will be held Monday, January 10, 2011 at 12:00 noon at the Foothill 7th Ward, 2215 Roosevelt Avenue, Salt Lake City, UT. Friends may call at the church Monday morning from 10:30-11:30 A.M. prior to the service. A visitation will be also be held Sunday, January 9 from 6:00-7:30 P.M. at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 255 South 200 East, Salt Lake City. Interment will be at Wasatch Lawn Cemetery. Online guestbook at www.russonmortuary.com

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Utah Youth Village, 5800 South Highland Dr., Salt Lake City, UT, 84121