Max Armin Mueller

Max Armin Mueller passed away peacefully Friday September 20, 2024. Max Armin was born October 17, 1932 in Zurich, Switzerland to Max Mueller and Hermine Bauer. Max was an answer to his mother's prayer that she might have a musical child that would perhaps play the violin. Even at the age of two or three years old he would stand in front of the radio with a cooking spoon and conduct an imaginary orchestra. From the age of five to the end of his life Max played the violin and conducted choirs and orchestras, providing inspiring music for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the community.

Growing up in Switzerland during World War II, at age nine, Max helped his mother manage coal-fired heating stoves for his family’s apartment building while his father served as a medic in the Swiss military. They often received hard bread and cheese when his father sent home his dirty clothes bag and Max learned that hard bread was not hard; having no bread was hard.

In his teenage years he worked as a mechanic's apprentice for the Buerle Company. He also studied the violin, played in string quartet ensembles, and participated in the orchestra of the Zurich Conservatory. Although he spoke a Swiss dialect at home with his family, Max spoke High German at school and church. In school he also learned to speak French and Italian. After the ninth grade he also took English classes. He really liked learning Italian because he was able to pronounce musical terms perfectly. Speaking multiple languages prepared him for his international career and future immigration to the United States.

At the age of twenty he served in the Swiss army. He chose the mountain infantry and completed the mandatory 17-weeks of basic training. A year later he served a full time mission in Vienna, Austria and during his mission was able to briefly visit his parents to attend the Swiss Temple dedication. He went on to study mechanical engineering and earned a degree from the Technicum in Winterthur in 1959 and then landed a job with Swiss Airlines. While working for Swiss Air, Max traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah USA to visit friends who had immigrated from Zurich. At the age of 28, he made the decision to immigrate to Salt Lake City and packed up all his belongings in a big wooden crate and shipped it along with a white VW Beetle to New York City. After meeting up with the car and crate in New York, he drove across the United states, visiting mission friends along the way, until he arrived in Utah. A few days later, Max secured a job with a mining company called Eimco (now FLSmidth), where he worked for the next 40 years.

While working for Eimco as a mechanical engineer, Max studied mechanical engineering at the University of Utah and earned a Bachelor of Science degree. During his professional career, Max developed, installed, and maintained horizontal belt filters all over the world. He also patented a number of inventions. After retiring, he was rehired by Eimco/FLSmidth as a consultant and continued maintaining belt filter installations into his 80's.

On June 9,1965 Max married Barbara Parrish in the Salt Lake Temple and they raised their family of five children in Centerville, Utah. They met while playing in a production of St. Matthew’s Passion and he was smitten with the organist. As they raised their children he loved coaching them to play musical instruments, skiing at Alta, hiking up Mount Timpanogos, and sailing on Pineview Reservoir. Max shared his love of music with the community by teaching violin and viola lessons, conducting community performances of the Messiah, and playing with the Salt Lake Symphony. He also maintained many friendships with his Swiss friends and conducted the Swiss Chorus Edelweiss for 10 years. Max served in many callings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and he most enjoyed sharing his testimony of Jesus Christ by preparing and conducting adult and children choirs and string ensembles for Christmas. He cared for Barbara until her passing on June 11, 2000. At the end of 2001 Max met Margaret VanOrman while volunteering their music services at a Hospice memorial event where, in his words, he “fell in love with her triplets”. On July 12, 2002, they were married in the Bountiful Temple and he provided vital support in raising another daughter. 

To his family and others, he passes on his love of the gospel of Jesus Christ, getting into the mountains, skiing, growing fruit and vegetables and eating out of the garden, making beautiful music, and the joy in working hard and helping things to grow.

Max is survived by his wife Margaret Van Orman Mueller, brother Kuno (Margrit) Mueller, children: Liz (Christian) Guertler, Nathan (Jill) Mueller, Warren (Ellen) Mueller, David (Mikelle) Mueller, Shelley (Tom) Stanton, and Erin (Bryson) Southworth; 27 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, September 30, 2024 at 11:00 AM at the LDS Chapel at 610 North 100 East (Rowland Way), Centerville, UT. A viewing will take place on Sunday, September 29, at Russon Mortuary at 295 N Main St, Bountiful, UT from 6:00-8:00 PM and again on Monday from 10:00-10:45 AM at the Rowland Way Chapel prior to the service.

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin 10-15 minutes prior to services and will be posted below.