Melvin Thomas Dority

"Beloved Husband and Father"

Our dear Melvin Thomas Dority passed away on January 19, 2024, after a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Dementia. He was blessed to be at home with his beloved wife Colleen by his side at the time of his passing.  He will be deeply missed!

Mel (also known as “Skip”) often spoke of his wonderful childhood growing up in Rose Park, Utah, with his father and mother and three younger brothers. He was born to Melvin T. Dority and Verlus McClement Dority on December 22, 1940. His younger years were filled with many exciting activities making mischief with his brothers and playing sports. He was extremely athletic and especially excelled at football, which he played at West High School.

Mel married Sharon Sizemore Dority in 1962 and later divorced. They were blessed with two sons, Kim Thomas Dority and Darrin S Dority.  Mel married Colleen Lawrence Dority in May 1991 and they spent many happy years together. Mel loved his family very much and so many loved him in return.

With a glint in his eye and a zest for life, Mel enjoyed so many activities! He loved the outdoors and especially the mountains. Hiking, fishing, camping, hunting, and gardening were some of his favorites. For several years, Mel enjoyed yearly vacations to Lake Powell where he had a share in a houseboat and loved taking his family water skiing and fishing.  He loved his cabin in Oakley and ice cream at the Polar King! Mel was also an excellent card player and it was pretty difficult to beat him. Somehow, he knew not only what cards were in his hand, but what cards everyone else was holding as well! He loved doing jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles. Mel was also very healthy most of his life and spent many years as an avid runner and participated in many 5K and 10K runs over the years. As Mel got older, he loved to walk daily with his beloved dogs who brought him so much comfort and companionship.

Mel was a man of many talents. He was a wonderful cook and enjoyed cooking for his family, especially at Christmas time. He was always busy with his DIY projects and loved to “putter”. He always liked to be busy and could figure out how to fix just about anything. Mel worked for almost 40 years in the pump design and manufacturing industry at Galigher Pumps where he was very successful and well respected. During his retirement years, Mel enjoyed being an usher for the University of Utah stadium events. He especially enjoyed ushering at the football games, basketball games and women’s gymnastics. Mel really enjoyed meeting new people and making friends. He also spent several years as a shuttle van driver for Toyota during his retirement which gave him a chance to interact with many people.

Some of the many wonderful memories he made during his retirement years was the time spent traveling with his wife Colleen. They went on amazing trips to Hawaii, Germany and Austria. He especially loved the bus rides to see the castles in Austria.  

For three years, Mel and Colleen served together in a calling at the Brighton Gardens assisted living center. They enjoyed so much the interactions with the wonderful people that lived there and Mel made many special friends.

Mel absolutely adored his grandchildren Kyle (Becca), Wade (Erica), Bryan (Maisie), Jason (Rachel), Jenna and Emily. As well as his great grandchildren Brynlee, Hallie, Finn, Rayley, Callen, Cooper and Jessy. He was so proud of each and every one of them.  He also held a special place in his heart for his niece and nephews Clarissa, Gavin, Samuel and Jeremy Lawrence. He was especially thankful for Gavin and Clarissa who helped him out so much during these last several difficult years.

Mel is survived by his wife, Colleen, his sons Kim (Stacey) Dority and Darrin (Jamie) Dority and his grandchildren and nieces and nephews. Additionally, he is survived by his brothers Judd (Kathy) Dority, Dennis (Brigitte) Dority; and Mike (Terrie) Dority. Mel is also survived by his sister-in-law Maureen (George) Fedor and many special friends and loved ones.

Mel will be truly missed by so many, but we know that he was joyously welcomed by loved ones on the other side of the veil.

Colleen would like to express her heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Moulton and to the staff at CNS Hospice: Andrea, Bailey, Kourtney, Roy and Andrew. Also, many thanks go out to the members of the Fruit Heights 1^st Ward and  Pleasant Valley 4^th Ward.

Memorial and Viewing will be at 11 am on Friday, January 26, 2024, at Russon Mortuary, 1941 N Main Street, Farmington, UT 84025. Followed by interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 1342 E. 500 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84102.

Plants are preferred (in lieu of flowers) or please make a donation to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Missionary Fund at https://donate.churchofjesuschrist.org/contribute/church. Thank you!