Gary William Dayton

Gary William Dayton was born December 27, 1933, in Pocatello, Idaho, to parents Ida Perkins and Henry Freeman Dayton of Chesterfield, Idaho.  He passed from this earth on Friday, June 18, 2021, surrounded by a loving family.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Irene Elliott Dayton; his sisters, Dorothy (Werner) Weixler, Vonnie (Verl) Ashcraft; daughters, Michelle (Greg) Mallonee, Leslie Dayton, and Rebecca (Corbett) Hansen.  His life was greatly blessed by his grandchildren, Laurel Mallonee, Kaitlyn (Tyler) Christensen, Sydney (Josh) Rich, Melanie Hansen, Sam Mallonee, McKay Hansen, Olivia Hansen, and great grandchildren, Elle Christensen and Emmy Rose Christensen.  He is also survived by 21 nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents Ida Perkins and Henry Freeman Dayton, his sister Doris May Dayton, brothers Donald Perkins Dayton and Wayne Freeman Dayton, and nephews David Dayton and Curtis Seymore.

From birth, Gary was a kind, gentle, and loving man of great faith in God.  He practiced what he believed in and was an influence for good to those around him.

After his first year in Chesterfield, Idaho, his family moved to Eureka, California, where he lived until he was about 12 years old.  The family then moved to Lakewood, California, where he lived out the remainder of his childhood and received a mission call for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He spent two years serving in the Texas-Louisiana mission.  When he returned home, he was promptly contacted by Uncle Sam for a two-year enlistment in the Army during the Cold War.  He trained in Colorado, then served as a medic in San Francisco and Germany.

Gary received an honorable discharge from the Army and returned to Lakewood, California, where his family still resided.  It was here that he became reacquainted with a now young woman from the neighboring town/ward, Irene Elliott.  When he left on his mission, she was a young girl; and because of the eight-year difference in their ages there was no attraction or even friendship between them.  But after he had been home for a couple of years, Gary’s sister, Vonnie, pointed out that Irene Elliott was home from a year at BYU and that he should try to get a date with her.  He did, and that situation changed, however, slowly.  One date, then another year passed.  After that, a second date, and that was the beginning of the end of bachelorhood.  It was exclusively Gary and Irene for two months, engagement for six months, and marriage in the Los Angeles Temple on June 21, 1963.

Gary went to work as a police officer for the Los Angeles Community Colleges.  Gary and Irene bought a home in Long Beach, California, and started their family with a beautiful baby girl, Michelle, and then another beautiful baby girl, Leslie Ann.  While living there, Gary was called to help form a brand-new ward, the Long Beach 7^th Ward, as a counselor to Bishop Frank Johnson.  In 1972, they bought another home in Bellflower, California, and Gary was called to be a counselor to Bishop Boyd Fenn in the Bellflower 1^st Ward.  Gary and Irene had a third baby girl (also beautiful, of course), Rebecca Lynn.  When a new bishop, Michael Stirling, was called to the ward, Gary was again called to be a counselor in the bishopric.  Upon the release of Bishop Stirling, Gary was called to be Bishop of the Bellflower 1^st Ward, where he served for six years.

These years were happy and very busy as Gary continued to work as a police officer, serve in the bishopric, raise his girls, manage his rental properties, and earn an AA degree in college.  He worked three jobs after his release from the bishopric to earn the money needed to support Leslie Ann on a mission for the Church, then retired from Los Angeles Community Colleges after 22 years.

It was time for a move.  The problems of crime and riots in the state of California were becoming worrisome.  Gary applied for and got a job with the LDS Church Security on Temple Square.  The family, which now consisted of Gary, Irene, and Becky, along with the dog, Nike, and cat, Leon, moved to Bountiful, Utah, in June 1993.  Gary worked in church security to support Becky on her mission (plus a little extra time), and retired after six years.  He served as a Bountiful Temple ordinance worker for two years and was released after being called as a counselor to Bishop James Terry in the Val Verda 5^th Ward.  This added up to 22 years as a bishop’s counselor and bishop.

He was a very busy man, but not too busy to be a wonderful husband and outstanding father and example to his family.  He enjoyed camping, traveling, reading scriptures, church books, and Louis L’Amour novels.  He loved music, led choirs in both California and Utah, and he enjoyed and played the piano quite well.  He loved barbershop music and was in several quartets through the years.   He loved to study things like algebra and Spanish, but his favorite was the scriptures.  He was a sought-after ice cream maker and loved to make fudge.  He loved Mom’s lemon meringue pie.  He never met a dog he didn’t love, and they seemed to feel that and love him back.

The family would like to send a sincere thank you to so many who were so kind during this difficult time in Gary’s life.  Among these are his home caregivers, Dale Flinders and Vanessa Gomez from Home Well Care Services; his hospice nurse, Julianne Huff, social worker, Lisa Crandell, and the caring CNAs who came morning and night from Bristol Hospice; and also, a thank you to Liz Cox and all the workers at Legacy House of Bountiful for their kind service.

Gary’s funeral will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church building at 2633 South 50 West, Bountiful, Utah, on Saturday, June 26, 2021.  There will be a viewing at the church before the service from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., and the service will begin at 11:00 a.m.

For those unable to attend the funeral service in person, a live broadcast can be seen on the Russon Mortuary & Crematory Facebook page.  The live broadcast will also be posted below at around 10:50 a.m.

A gravesite dedication will follow the service at the Bountiful City Cemetery, 2224 South 200 West, Bountiful, Utah.