James Maurice Sipherd

James Maurice Sipherd was born in Provo Utah, June 13th 1934. From the very beginning he had an interesting life. His father Richard Spencer Sipherd worked for General Foods and moved the family around quite a bit. As a young boy James excelled in scouting and completed his Eagle Scout by age 13. He graduated from Ogden High and attended the University of Utah. He was drafted into the military and sent to Germany shortly after World War II. On his return home, he met two LDS returned missionaries who gave him the Book of Mormon to read. By the time his ship arrived back in the United States, he had a profound testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which has guided his life ever since. He served a mission in Austria and Switzerland and later married Carolyn Jane Dixon. They lived, worked and raised their five children in Salt Lake City Utah. James loved the outdoors. He loved to ski, run, hike, play tennis, and swim. He had many great opportunities throughout his adult life, one of his favorites being his involvement in the 2002 Winter Olympics, assisting with many ski related events. James also had a great love of history and spent time reading many books on related subjects.
James lost his sight to Glaucoma later in life and handled the challenge with positivity and grace. He never complained and tried to maintain his normal life as much as possible. He loved listening to music, attending symphonies and music concerts and listening to audio books.
James passed from this life peacefully with his children surrounding him. He lived a blessed and beautiful life and will be missed. He is survived by his five children, including Allyson Jane Hill, Anne Kathrine Yeargin, Amy Louise Freeman, Andrew James Sipherd and Andrea Kristin Sipherd. He is also survived by his fifteen grandchildren who he loved dearly.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the Yalecrest LDS Chapel, 1035 South 1800 East, SLC, where a viewing will be held Friday evening from 6-8 pm and Saturday morning 9:45-10:45 am prior to services.