Phyl Grant Ekins Obituary (1933

Phyl Grant Ekins, 88, husband of Jean Dixon Ekins, died in his Provo home Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Phyl was a Captain in the US Air Force and enjoyed flying the F86D Sabre with his fighter squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He loved the thrill of high-speed dogfight combat training and shared his many adventures with his family and friends. Phyl was born June 3, 1933, to Grant Ekins and Edna Lorene Poulson Ekins and began his young life in Delta, Utah then relocated to Provo, Utah as a young child. Phyl was an accomplished pianist and also played the tuba in the marching band at Provo High School. He enrolled at Brigham Young University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business while enrolled in the ROTC program. Phyl married Jean Dixon on August 9, 1953, in the Logan Temple and had six children: Cindy (Mrs. Heber J. “Tiger”) Teerlink, Saratoga, California; Carrie (Mrs. Hans Junge) Ekins, Augsburg, Germany; Ronald G. (and Michelle) Ekins, Springdale, Missouri; Cris Ekins Kiser, Riverton; Courtney (Mrs. John K.) Johnson, Spanish Fork; Sandra (Mrs. Barry) King, Provo; 22 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. The Ekins family lived in Texas and California where Phyl served as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force. They later lived in Provo where Phyl owned and operated Triple “E” Inc. with his father and brother. Throughout his life, Phyl was very physically active and enjoyed motorcycling, water and snow skiing, and exploring Utah’s state and national parks. As one of the first snow skiers in Utah, Phyl used leather boots, wood skis, and bamboo poles as his early ski equipment. As a teenager, he skied at Timp Haven (later Sundance) using their homemade rope tow. He also was one of the first skiers at Alta, Park West (later the Canyons) where he taught his wife Jean and six children to ski. Phyl and Jean also loved water skiing and were one of the first Utah residents to surf behind a boat with their friends and skiing legends Junior and Maxine Bounous in the early ’70s. Phyl and Jean loved music and taught their children the value of the arts. With two grand pianos in their living room, Phyl and Jean filled their home with Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 as one of their favorite two-piano duets. They also played solo music and Debussy - Clair de Lune was one of Phyl’s most requested numbers because he played it with such passion and grace. Jean was also an accomplished pianist and competed in music competitions at BYU. If you knew Phyl, you knew he loved to cook. As an amateur chef, Phyl created gourmet dishes for friends, BYU football players, Folk Dancers, and enjoyed doing cooking demonstrations for the Relief Society in his ward. His table was always open and there was always room for anyone that showed up hungry. His food was fancy and there was plenty of it to go around. Phyl’s charismatic personality gave him the ability to charm and influence those around him. He was known to make people laugh and he made an effort to make everyone around him feel important and valued. These attributes helped him in his calling as the second counselor in the bishopric of a BYU young adult ward. Being a life-long learner was important to Phyl. He learned to play the guitar as an adult and even when his fingers were not as nimble as they once were, he never gave up practicing because there always was something to learn. He also studied the stock market and made wise decisions based on research and of course his favorite Mad Money Cramer Show. So many have been inspired to do and learn more through Phyl’s example. He embraced life with clarity, energy, humor, and determination. His passion for family, nature, and the arts will be remembered as his new eternal flight plan begins. “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” ― Leonardo da Vinci Funeral services will be conducted at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 5, 2022, at the Edgemont 6th Ward Chapel, 4056 North Timpview Drive in Provo, Utah. Friends may call at the same location from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Provo City Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com. Services may be viewed live via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/99250160977 (Webinar ID: 992 5016 0977).