Jack Eldon Leavitt, 89, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2016. He was born August 9, 1926 in Cornish, Utah to Elden and Sarah Leavitt. He grew up on a dairy farm in Cornish, with his 2 sisters, Geraldine and Dorothy, two of his best friends throughout his life. He milked cows every morning and night for many years with his dad. His dad taught him many songs and poems as they worked together each day. Jack had a horse named Mickey, together he and Mickey explored many of the mountains surrounding Cache Valley. Jack started on the North Cache High School football team and ran track. He graduated from high school in 1944 and went on to Utah State University where he played football. He signed up in 1944 to join the war effort, but he was not 18, so in 1945 he was allowed to join the Army Air Corp. As the result of graduating number one in his class from remote turret school he was advanced to the rank of staff sergeant. He was assigned to be a flight crew member of an A-26 fighter/bomber in the famed 5th Air Force which continues today as the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. He served as a member of the occupation forces near Yokohama and Tokyo Japan. He remained throughout his life a patriot and a strong advocate for our county and a defender of our freedoms. When he returned home in 1946 he married his high school sweetheart, Gayle Wiser in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. Together they were blessed with 3 children, 11 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Jack was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving as a counselor in bishoprics, a Bishop, high councilor, a youth leader as a young men's president, scoutmaster and stake scout leader. Because of his love of the temple he attended often throughout his life. He was an exemplary home teacher who baptized many of his part member families. Jack worked for the Mountain States Telephone Company for 37 years. Through his dedication and hard work ethic he was promoted and received many special assignments, including being in charge of the video feeds for many of the national television network programs including national political conventions, on NBC and CBS, and for the international snow ski races for ABC Wide World of Sports. In 1968 he was assigned to be part of the Bell Telephone Laboratories research staff in New Jersey, as the Bell system began the steps to computerize the telephone business. He later went on to be a district level supervisor in both Eastern Idaho and Western Idaho. After a short retirement, he was recruited to Texas to work as a consulting engineer for Southwest Bell. He so enjoyed this great challenge. His wife Gayle passed away in 1994 and in 1996 his children introduced him to Teresa Jensen, with whom he fell in love and married in 1997. Together they traveled the world, visited their combined family of 9 Children, 46 grandchildren and 99 great-grandchildren, and attended every graduation and wedding that they could. They served a family history mission for the LDS church in Sydney, Australia. Jack was a happy, upbeat man who had lots of fun and funny quotes and sayings that were always so entertaining. He led his family by example, love, humor and patience. He is survived by his wife Teresa; his children: Ned (Janet), Randall (Karyl), Staci, Norman (Bonnie), Nephi (Ruby), Ray (Charlotte), Greg (Donna), Rosemary (Tom); 55 grandchildren, 99 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife Gayle and a daughter Pam (Rick). Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 16 at the Middleton LDS Stake Center on Old Highway 30 in Caldwell. A viewing will be held at the church, Friday, April 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 to 9:45 a.m. prior to the services. Burial will be in the Lewiston City Cemetery, Lewiston, Utah at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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