Marvin Phillip "Phil" Leonard

Marvin Phillip Leonard passed away surrounded by the comfort of family and friends on Monday, August 7^th 2023, just prior to his 80^th birthday. Phil was born on August 22^nd, 1943, to parents Marvin Prentice and Ruth Cardon Leonard in Salt Lake City, Utah. He married Linda Smith on June 30^th, 1961, and they were sealed forever the following year in the Salt Lake City Temple. Phil lived a life full of service, hard work, kindness, and love, which he gave freely to anyone he met. Phil and Linda are the proud parents and grandparents of seven children, 17 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Phil graduated from Davis High School in 1961, where he was involved in athletics as well as the National Future Farmers of America Organization. In his early career, Phil worked as a milkman for Cream O’Weber Dairy and as a salesman for American Greetings Corporation. He attended Weber State University in Ogden, and was awarded a Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Certification in 1971.

Phil served as a Deputy Sheriff for Davis County Sheriff’s Office for over 20 years. His passion was in police work, and over the course of his long career he filled many roles, including patrolman, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain of corrections. Upon retiring in 1991, he assumed as position as a Davis County Constable.

In his spare time, Phil was a rancher and a farmer, caring for the land established by his great-grandfather, Truman Leonard, in 1847. He bred and cared for his head of 200 cattle and horses, and grew crops of wheat, corn, and alfalfa.

His passion for sports led him to become an official for Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA). He officiated high school football, basketball, and baseball for over 50 years, retiring from officiating at age 77. He served as an arbiter for Davis County School District for 39 years, and as an assistant arbiter for UHSAA for 20 years.

Phil’s dedication to Utah’s athletics was remarkable, earning him numerous state and national awards. He was named outstanding Official of the Year in both 1994 and 1995 by the UHSAA, and was the Utah High School Umpire of the Year in 2007. He was awarded the National Hall of Fame in football, and was recently inducted into the Utah Sports Officials Hall of Fame.

Many who knew Phil say that he could outwork anyone, even those half his age. He pursued a variety of work that he was passionate about throughout his lifetime. He could never retire, and continued working until the time of his death. For 15 years, Phil worked at Deseret Land and Livestock as a security guard, protecting the ranch from poachers during the hunting season. For 20 years, he served on the Board of Directors for Benchland Water District, investing his time toward providing quality water for the citizens of Farmington. For the past five years, Phil has been employed with Road Runners Transportation as a chase driver, enjoying his time transporting and delivering “fancy” vehicles.

Phil loved to give service. He was a member of the Kaysville Jaycees Chapter, whose philosophy was that being in the service of humanity was the best way of life. As part of this organization, Phil spearheaded many service projects for the community of Kaysville. The friends he and Linda made here resulted in the creation of “Our Gang”, a group of friends who regularly gather, travel, and dine together.

If you knew Phil, you knew that he was a die-hard University of Utah fan. He loved following and cheering for the Utes in every sporting event. One of his great joys was attending Utes games. He and Linda proudly attended the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas for 32 years.  He also loved his animals, he loved giving service to his church, he loved hunting deer and elk, and he loved camping and spending time outdoors with his family. To his friends, family, and community, he was an example of kindness, service, hard work, and most of all: jokester!

Phil was a member of the Shepard View Ward in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served faithfully in many positions, and greatly enjoyed working with the youth in a variety of roles.

Phil is preceded in death by his parents; his sisters Suzanne Hess and Judy Pierce; brothers-in-law Vince Hess and Harry Pierce; and grandson Austin Leonard Larsen.

Surviving Phil are his wife, Linda, sisters Mary Ann (Bruce) Garner and Rebecca Leonard, as well as his seven children: Trent and Cindy Leonard (Jason, Krystal, Libby); Melanie Leonard; Lisa Leonard and Dan Milam (Autumn, Golden, Corbin); Chad and Claudia Leonard (Jessica, Cayden, Layne); Jeremy and Nicole Leonard (Truman, Prentice, Cardon, Chambers, Anders); Melissa and Jeff Larsen (Austin, Tallin); and Ryan and Samantha Leonard (Jameson). He is also survived by his great-grandchildren Nash, Kai, Mylo, Ella, Jaxson and Hagen.

Phil’s family would like to thank Inspiration Hospice Care, Alisha Richins from AMG, and all the staff, nurses, and doctors who attended to Phil at Lakeview Hospital with kindness and dignity. We are also grateful for the dedicated care of our primary doctor and friend, Dr. Scott Moulton.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, August 14, 2023, at the Farmington North Stake Center, 729 W. Shepard Lane, Farmington, Utah. Friends and family may visit Sunday between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. at Russon Mortuary, 1941 North Main Street, Farmington, Utah, and Monday between 9:30 and 10:30 at the church. Interment will be at the Farmington City Cemetery.

Funeral services will be streamed live on the Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/russonmortuary) and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin 10-15 minutes before the services and will be posted below.

In lieu of flowers, Phil would like you to do an act of kindness for someone in need.