Richard Vernon Strong passed away peacefully in his home on Aug. 5, 2022, following his battle with cancer. He was welcomed to his heavenly home by his parents, his siblings, and his two granddaughters Danielle Didericksen and Aaliyah Chabries.
Richard leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and loyalty. He is survived by his loving wife Cynthia Tate Strong; his 10 children and their spouses: Cheryl (Michael), Eric (Amy), Julie (Darren), Susan (Mark), Ryan (Tiffany), Scott (Natalie), Heidi (Jeremy), Kevin (Lindsay), Wendy (Chad ), Lori (Dave); 31 grandchildren; and 2 great-grandsons.
Richard was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on January 21, 1947 to Vernon LeRoy and Venna Meikle Strong. He was the youngest of 7 children, with 2 brothers and 4 sisters. As a teenager he was a lawn mower, a paperboy, and an assistant at Hy-Way pharmacy.
Richard attended 1 semester at BYU in Provo Utah before serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in the West German Mission, with headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It was on this mission that Richard deepened his testimony and gained a lifelong love for the country, the language, and the people of Germany.
Following his mission he returned to BYU for the summer semester. It was on the last song at the first dance of the semester that Richard met the love of his life and future bride Cynthia Tate. They were married exactly 6 months later in the Los Angeles Temple. He continued to attend school while working at the Provo Language Training mission using his love of the German language to teach new missionaries. In 1971 he graduated with a BA in History and a minor in German. He went on to complete an MPA in 1972 that included an internship in the Office of Legislative Research at the Utah State Capitol.
Richard was blessed with a daughter and son while attending school and the family of four moved to Bountiful, Utah in 1972 where Richard continued to work for the Legislature. Richard was blessed with two more daughters and in 1976 moved to North Salt Lake where he became a city councilman. Richard took pride in his work as a city councilman, particularly in the creation of the beautiful walking area along HWY 89 just north of City Hall. In 1984, after adding three more sons and another daughter to the family, they moved back to Bountiful where they were blessed with their last two daughters.
On January 1st, 2001 Richard retired as the Director of Legislative Research and General Counsel to the Utah State Legislature after 30 years of service. He began as a research analyst before moving on to various roles both within and beyond his office. He served on both the Western Conference of State Legislatures and Staff and the National Board of Legislative staff. His high level of detail and organization, as well as fluency with the German language and culture, proved invaluable to those he worked with. Richard’s warm and caring way with people ended him to those around him.
His staff was more like family than employees to him. He had many cherished moments with those he worked with as well as the State Senators, Representatives, Governors, and their various staff, which included events such as their out-of-office parties, and the annual Christmas party held at Richard’s home. In 2002, Richard and Cynthia were asked to return and supervise the displays, tours, and events at the Utah State Capitol during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
After retirement, Richard, Cynthia and their two youngest children moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho to be closer to Richard’s family in their final years. In 2006, they returned with their youngest child back to Bountiful where Richard was able to enjoy the view of the Great Salt Lake and be close to the Bountiful Temple. In 2012, Richard and Cynthia were called to serve as missionaries in the Alpine German Speaking Mission, and served in Vienna, Austria. He loved sharing this adventure with his wife. They grew close with the missionaries and young adults there, and included them in his ever-growing family fold. He returned home and jumped fully into retirement mode, while continuing to serve others. Richard also enjoyed working in his yard, watching the sunsets, and helping neighbors and friends. He loved serving at the temple and served until he was physically incapable to do so. He not only loved his Savior, Jesus Christ, and Christ’s gospel, he lived it. He was loyal and faithful at all times.
Throughout his life Richard wore many hats. To some he may be known as your faithful home teacher or ministering brother, your Branch President, your teacher, your neighborhood watch, your confidant, your temple worker, your organizer, your clerk, your moving man, your translator, or so many of his other roles. Richard never stopped serving. To our family, he was our patriarch, our leader, our home base.
Richard was an amazing father. He created some of the best Christmas hunts for his kids, mixing in scriptures and words from his German dictionary. He loved to play with his grandkids, joking and laughing with them. He had the best dad jokes and taught them to his kids and grandkids. He also loved the German people and continued to use the German language. If you wanted an ‘in’ with Richard, Germany was your topic. Aside from his one true love, Cynthia, Richard had three: his family, his faith, and the German people – and he served all of them with love and loyalty. Richard will truly be missed by all that knew him, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of all of those he touched.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Friday, August 12, 2022 at the Bountiful Ward Canyon Ward, 1250 East 500 North, Bountiful, Utah, where a viewing will be held Thursday evening from 6:00 – 8:00 pm and Friday morning 9:30 -10:45 am prior to services.
Interment will be at the Lakeview Cemetery, 1640 Lakeview Dr, Bountiful.
Services will be streamed live on Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and Richard’s obituary page at www.russonmortuary.com.
Published by Deseret News from Aug. 6 to Aug. 10, 2022.
34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315ATo plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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