Neldon DeVar Stanley

November 29, 1927 - January 11, 2022

Neldon DeVar Stanley was born November 29, 1927 in Nephi, Utah, to his parents James Robert Stanley and Jennie Elena Stanley. He left this life and entered the next stage of his progression on January 11, 2022 at the age of 94. He was the 4th son in a family of 5 children, joining brothers Daryl, LaMar, Thays and eventually baby number 5, Elizabeth. Education was an important part of his life from an early age. He attended school in Nephi as a child where he learned many things, developing the ability to memorize lengthy poems which he was still able to recite in recent months. When he was 12 the family moved to Mona. At Juab High, he demonstrated his leadership skills as seminary president and senior class president. A devoted athlete, he played all sports while making time to complete chores on the farm. Always a hard worker, he had to tend to his responsibilities of milking the cows. When his athletic practices after school went long, he would sometimes need to hitchhike home to Mona before milking cows, finishing homework, and finally going to bed. He loved horses and the lessons his father taught him while working on the family ranch at Little Cherry Creek near Eureka. He helped farm and herd cattle and enjoyed sharing stories of riding horses in the area. During his high school days, his three older brothers were in the military. He was called up and reported to Fort Douglas, but he and one other boy were sent home to finish high school. After graduation, he went to work in the Tintic Mine. At Christmas time his brother Daryl came home from Utah State and told him it was time to go to school, so in January he moved to Cache Valley and enrolled at Utah State. He took a full load of classes on the advice of his brother and worked different jobs to afford school. He delivered coal and lived in several places including an old milk barn. Three and a half years later he received a mission call to Norway. Needing only 3 credit hours to graduate, he found a class he could take for variable credit which gave him the 3 hours he needed to complete his bachelor's degree in time to leave for Norway. Missionary work became a part of who he was for the rest of his life. Neldon spent the first year of his mission learning the language and he felt he would never get it. But over the two and a half years in Norway he learned a language that he never forgot and had many cherished experiences that he has loved sharing over the years. He sang with a double quartet of missionaries who were invited to go to Sweden where they recorded records. In Norway he enjoyed skiing and coached basketball, essentially introducing the sport to many Norwegians. He also had the opportunity to learn sign language while teaching a deaf and blind woman and her son. They both joined the church. Later, when they moved to the United States, Neldon would accompany her and translate when she was called on to speak to various groups, on TV, in prisons, and in schools. Upon his return from his mission during the Korean War, he received greetings from Uncle Sam drafting him into the Army. He reported to Fort Ord, California for Basic Training before being sent to Germany where he was very happy to serve. He taught soldiers who needed to earn their GED, coached and returned for a few visits to Norway. He also continued his missionary work, meeting several lifelong friends who converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After finishing his military service, he returned to BYU to work on an Elementary teaching certification and met Marilyn in January of 1955. They were married in August in the Salt Lake Temple and recently celebrated their 66th anniversary. He began his teaching career at Dixon Jr. High where he taught Boys PE and health classes and coached just about every sport. He liked hunting, singing, parasailing behind cars, and practical joking with his fellow teachers in the school. Neldon and Marilyn both finished their master’s degrees at BYU in Recreational Education in 1961. As a teacher he almost always had a second job. These included driving school buses, doing school maintenance, driving trucks, delivering mining equipment, and teaching bus driving. He was the county fire warden alongside his brother Daryl for several years. Many years he taught Driver Education for BYU and Utah Technical College, and Driver Improvement classes for the traffic court. Throughout his life, he learned skills that allowed him to fix almost anything. He worked on his cars and maintained several investment properties. He enjoyed woodworking and made several beautiful projects for their home. His church service was long and varied but always included missionary work. He was in a stake mission presidency. Neldon was asked to serve as mission president in a BYU stake for 3 years but continued serving for 7 years. As a couple they served as Church Service missionaries at the MTC for 12 years and continued as volunteers there for an additional 4 years. Other times he served on the high council, as a scout leader, and a teacher in various classes. He enjoyed making wood toys for Humanitarian Aid. Always thrifty, he made many projects with the scrap wood. If you need an exercise machine, see Marilyn. He assisted some of his grandsons to make both wooden toys and medical transfer boards as they earned their Eagle Scout awards. As a couple they had opportunities to visit many places including Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Florida, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington, Washington D.C., Colorado, New York, Missouri, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and 2 trips to Europe. Most of all, they loved the people they met and always found friends wherever they went. He is preceded in death by his two sons, Merrill and Steven, and by a son-in-law, John Barrus. He is survived by his wife Marilyn Stanley; his eight children: Anna Leesa Barrus, Michelle Nielsen (Blake), LaDawn Osborn (Paul), Michael Stanley (Denise), Bruce Stanley (Jeanel), Sharilyn Johnson, Sherman Stanley (Brooke), and Larry Stanley (Elizabeth); 31 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. His family wish to thank the many caregivers, and especially our mom, for the compassion and skill that they have given him which enabled him to live a full life. In lieu of flowers, gifts, or food, the family requests you share your memories of Neldon to: [email protected] Due to the current spike in COVID-19 cases and out of love, concern and respect, the in-person funeral service will be limited to immediate family. Also, others are welcome to join the funeral by viewing the webcast link below at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 15, 2022. http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/Player?eid=50107 Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.