Merwin Udall Stewart

Merwin Udall Stewart, 84, passed away peacefully on the evening of January 11, 2016 due to complications from old age. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 16, 1931 to William Udall (Dell) and Edith Lorraine Webb Stewart, he married June Marie Lorenzen in the Los Angeles Temple on August 20, 1956.  Merwin spent his childhood years as a cowboy on the range in Alamo and Las Vegas working with his dad on the family ranch.  He completed his bachelor degree at BYU (where he met his sweetheart) and his master degree in Business at Indiana University.

Merwin and June moved with their first child to Los Angeles, California, where he started his career in business working with several companies. He was asked in 1970 to move to Utah to help form an insurance company for the LDS church which became Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators (DMBA). He served as President of that company until his retirement in 1997. A few months later, Governor Mike Leavitt asked Merwin to be the Insurance Commissioner for the State of Utah.  He served for 7 years as commissioner before retiring and serving an LDS mission.

He spent many years serving in the LDS church. He served a full time mission as a young man for two and a half years in the Germany Frankfurt mission. He served twice as a Bishop and several times as a Bishopric and Stake Presidency Counselor. After he retired, he served with his wife in the Australia Sydney mission for 16 months. He continued to serve in the Bountiful Temple where he could, despite the limitation of Alzheimer’s.

Merwin loved the outdoors and BYU sports. His favorite “vacation” was working at the family cabin near Brian Head, Utah with his brothers and family.

He is survived by his wife, June: children, Wayne (Marlene), Bruce (Yvonne), Scott (Kamile), Laura (Maurits) Noot, Sara (Chris) Wilkin, David (Kristin), Rick (Marianne); 3 brothers and 1 sister, 29 grandchildren (with 1 on the way), 7 great grandchildren (with 1 on the way).  He is preceded in death by his parents and 1 sister.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 11:00 am at the Barton Creek Ward, 640 S 750 E, Bountiful, Utah. A viewing will be held Friday evening from 6 to 8 pm at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 North Main, Bountiful, Utah, and Saturday at the church from 9:30 to 10:30 am prior to the service.