The noteworthy Utahns who died in 2021

They were lawyers and judges, athletes and coaches, actors and writers, makers of history and chroniclers of it, purveyors of food and performers of music, and people who were comfortable in the corridors of power, running a business, or exploring the wide outdoors.

The noteworthy Utahns who died in 2021 represented many walks of life. Some died after a long, full life. Others died too young, because of violence or the continuing ravages of COVID-19.

The coronavirus claimed the lives of more than 2,100 Utahns in 2021, according to Utah Department of Health records. Another 117 people in Utah died while experiencing homelessness.

Here, The Salt Lake Tribune stops to remember scores of people — and one photogenic bear — who left their marks on Utah and its people in one way or another.

(Eddie and Annie Adams Educational Foundation) Henry Lee Adams, the first Black person to graduate from the University of Utah law school and to serve as a Utah assistant attorney general.

Henry Lee Adams • A pioneering figure in Utah law, Adams was the first Black person to graduate from the University of Utah’s law school and to serve as an assistant attorney general in Utah. In his legal career, Adams also served in posts with the IRS, Kennecott Copper and the Navajo Nation. Adams died Oct. 15, at age 86, in Salt Lake City.

Will Bagley • A prominent historian of Utah and the American West, Bagley published his masterwork in 2002: “Blood of the Prophets,” a comprehensive and controversial account of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, when Mormon militia members killed 120 Arkansas emigrants crossing southern Utah on their way to California in 1857. Bagley died Sept. 28, at age 71, in Salt Lake City, after a stroke.

(John Hechtel | Vital Ground Foundation) Bart the Bear II plays pattycake with his trainer and owner, Doug Seus.

Bart the Bear II • Bart, an 8-foot brown bear rescued as a cub in Alaska and raised in Utah by Doug and Lynne Seus, appeared in such movies as “We Bought a Zoo” and “Pete’s Dragon” — and famously stared down Gwendoline Christie’s Brienne of Tarth in a 2013 episode of “Game of Thrones.” Bart died Nov. 20 or 21, at age 21, in Heber City, after a long illness.

Tom Barberi • For more than three decades as KALL radio’s “Voice of Reason,” Barberi skewered Utah’s establishment figures — from politicians to religious leaders. He especially delighted in poking fun at the Utah Legislature and the state’s liquor laws. Barberi, a die-hard University of Utah fan whose “Utah by five” weekly prediction became a community catchphrase, died Christmas Eve, at age 78, after battling multiple sclerosis for several years.

David Bateman • The longest-serving Utah County sheriff ever, Bateman held the post for 18 years, retiring in 2003. Bateman died Jan. 20, at age 80, of complications from COVID-19.

Curt Bench • Bench opened Benchmark Books in 1987, creating a haven for book lovers interested in writings about the Latter-day Saint faith. Before that, Bench ran the rare-books section of Deseret Book until the department was done in by an embezzling employee. Bench died Aug. 17, at age 68, from a hole in his aorta.

Merrill Bone • A firefighter and paramedic who served for more than 35 years in the Salt Lake Valley — 20 years with the Salt Lake City Fire Department, and, since 2006, with Unified Fire Authority, most recently as a captain. Bone died Oct. 31, at age 61, of complications from COVID-19; he was vaccinated, his son said, but was immunocompromised because of cancer. UFA recognized his death as happening in the line of duty, since as a paramedic he may have been in contact with people who had the coronavirus.

(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Tony Caputo sorts and cleans basil during a lunch hour rush at Caputo’s Deli in 2006.

Tony Caputo • The garrulous restaurateur founded Caputo’s Market, selling bountiful lunches and gourmet foods, ushering in Salt Lake City’s artisan food scene while also advocating for the Pioneer Park neighborhood. Caputo died March 9, at age 72, in Salt Lake City.

Neil Chow • The Chinese-born chef and entrepreneur cooked at the Hotel Utah (where he once made a meal for John F. Kennedy) and Little America. He owned and operated United Noodle Manufacturing Co., which for years made fresh noodles for many of Salt Lake City’s Chinese restaurants. Chow died May 8, at age 95, in Salt Lake City.

Barbara Christiansen • Christiansen, a retired Daily Herald reporter, served on the American Fork City Council starting in January 2018 and is credited with helping oversee the city’s rebranding and the completion of a regional park, and launching a monthly report to residents, “Citizens Want to Know.” Christiansen died April 2, at age 74, from ongoing health conditions, in American Fork.

Maxine Conder • A Utah native, Conder was the second woman to achieve the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy in 1975, when she was appointed director of the Navy Nurse Corps. She held the post until 1979, when she retired to Layton. Conder died Oct. 18, at age 95, in Layton.

Dean Cox • Cox worked for Washington County for decades, rising to emergency services director, before being elected to the Washington County Commission in 2016. He had announced his resignation in June 2021, intending to leave the commission at the end of July. Cox died July 7, at age 66, of complications from cancer, in St. George.

Kim Crumbo • A legendary outdoorsman and conservationist, Crumbo was also a Navy SEAL during Vietnam, served as a park ranger in the Grand Canyon and Olympic National Park, worked as a river guide for the storied Ken Sleight, and was an acquaintance of author Edward Abbey. Crumbo disappeared while on a backcountry trip in Yellowstone National Park with his brother, Mark Crumbo O’Neill, when a storm hit. O’Neill’s body was found Sept. 20, dead from exposure. After weeks of searching, Crumbo’s body was not recovered and in November he was presumed dead, at age 74.

Kurt Damschroder • An artist and designer, Damschroder was vice president of design at Atmosphere Studios, a company that creates trade-show exhibits and interiors for businesses, and a contributor to the traveling exhibition Whose Art. Damshroder died Jan. 30, at age 57, in an avalanche just outside Park City Mountain Resort.

Dean M. Davies • The Salt Lake City native was named a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 2020, after eight years as a counselor in the church’s Presiding Bishopric. Before that, Davies had a career in real estate and was managing director of the church’s Special Projects Department, overseeing temple design and construction. Davies died Aug. 31, at age 69, after a long battle with cancer, in North Salt Lake.

Robert J. DeBry • The attorney founded Robert J. DeBry & Associates, one of the largest personal-injury law firms in Utah, and his TV commercials and billboards made him a familiar face around the state. DeBry died May 10, at age 85, from causes related to age, at his home in Holladay.

Mark R. DeCaria • DeCaria was a much-respected judge in the 2nd District Court, in Ogden, from 2009 to 2019, after being elected Weber County attorney four times — a rare feat for a Democrat. As a judge and prosecutor, he worked to help the disadvantaged, such as throwing his support behind Weber County’s first drug court to help nonviolent offenders get treatment instead of jail time. DeCaria died Dec. 12, at age 70, from complications (COVID-19 included) after surgery for an aortic aneurysm.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mark Eaton in 2014.

Mark Eaton • With a height of 7 feet, 4 inches, Eaton played all 11 seasons of his legendary NBA career, from 1982 to 1993, with the Utah Jazz — earning Defensive Player of the Year titles in 1985 and 1989, and being named an All-Star in 1989. In retirement, he became a restaurateur, owning Tuscany and Franck’s in Holladay, and was an occasional TV analyst. Eaton died May 28, at age 64, after becoming unconscious while riding his bike near his Summit County home.

Bruce Erickson • The longtime planning director for Park City, Erickson guided such projects as the Bonanza Flat acquisition and the development of the Treasure Mountain project at Park City Mountain Resort. Erickson died Jan. 17, at age 68, in Park City.

Jim Fassel • Fassel was head coach of the University of Utah football team from 1985 to 1989, tallying a record of 25-33 before being replaced by Ron McBride. Fassel went on to a pro career, coaching the New York Giants from 1997 to 2003, where he was named NFL coach of the year in 1997. Fassel died June 7, at age 71, from a heart attack in a Las Vegas hospital.

Jim Fisher • Fisher was mentor to a couple of generations of journalists as a professor at both the University of Utah and Utah Valley University — and, before that, as a photo editor at The Salt Lake Tribune. Fisher died Oct. 31, at age 70, from COVID-19, in Salt Lake City.

Shannon Flynn • A devoted researcher of Latter-day Saint history, Flynn saw his career destroyed in 1985 when his boss, Mark Hofmann, killed two people with pipe bombs in an effort to cover up Hofmann’s forgeries. Flynn knew nothing of Hofmann’s crimes and was exonerated from any role in the murders. He moved to Arizona, living in anonymity but saw a renaissance this March, as a colorful interview subject in the Netflix documentary series about Hofmann, “Murder Among the Mormons.” Flynn died Oct. 28, at age 63, from cancer at his home in Arizona.

(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake Acting Company’s Charles Lynn Frost ‘Sister Dottie S. Dixon’ acts out a scene of “Dottie-The Sister Lives On!,” Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012.

Charles Lynn Frost • Frost — an actor, playwright and theater director — created and embodied the beloved character Sister Dottie S. Dixon, a Latter-day Saint mom who became a fierce advocate for her gay son and all LGBTQ people. Frost died May 19, at age 67, of colon cancer, in Salt Lake City.

Andy Gallegos • As director of the just-reorganized Department of Social Services in Gov. Scott Matheson’s administration, Gallegos in 1981 became the first Hispanic to hold a Cabinet position in Utah government. In the late ‘90s, as marketing manager for the Utah Transit Authority, he coined the name for UTA’s new rail system: TRAX. Gallegos died Nov. 8, at age 81, in Salt Lake City, from cardiovascular disease and dementia.

James P. Gander • A professor in the University of Utah’s school of economics for more than 50 years, Gander specialized in econometrics — using statistical data to test economic theories — and stayed active in the field as an emeritus professor, publishing a paper in spring 2020 on using predictive COVID-19 models. Gander died Oct. 12, at age 90, in his Salt Lake City home.

Bettye Gillespie • A trailblazing civil-rights advocate in Utah, Gillespie organized boycotts of Ogden stores that didn’t hire Black workers, spearheaded voter registration drives, and was the first African American on the University of Utah’s board of trustees. Gillespie died July 2, at age 92, in Ogden.

Tom Green • An unabashed polygamist who promoted his lifestyle on such TV shows as “Dateline” and “The Jerry Springer Show,” Green was convicted of bigamy in 2001 and, a year later, of raping a 13-year-old girl in the 1980s. Green died Feb. 28, at age 72, of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Jean Hale • A Salt Lake City native and University of Utah graduate, Hale was a glamorous actress who appeared in dozens of movies and TV episodes in the 1960s and ′70s — notably, opposite James Coburn in the 1967 spy spoof “In Like Flint,” and as Polly, the sidekick to David Wayne’s Mad Hatter, in the “Batman” TV series. Hale died Aug. 3, at age 82, in Santa Monica, Calif.

Al Harrington • Nicknamed “The South Pacific Man” for the Waikiki nightclub act he performed for a quarter century, the American Samoa-born Harrington co-starred for three seasons as Detective Ben Kokua on the original “Hawaii Five-O.” He left Hawaii for Utah in 1992, acting in movies and recording with the Latter-day Saint musical group Lamanite Generation, before returning to Hawaii in 2005. (His son, Alema, is a fixture on Utah Jazz telecasts.) Harrington died Sept. 21, at age 85, in Hawaii, after a stroke.

Don Harwell • The genial Harwell was a longtime leader of Genesis, a trailblazing congregation for Black members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Harwell died May 8, at age 75, of complications from heart surgery.

J. Dell Holbrook • Holbrook served one term on the Davis County Commission from 1991 to 1995 — the first Democrat to win a countywide election there in nearly three decades, and the last Democrat to win there. Holbrook died Sept. 18, at age 86, in a Salt Lake City hospital, from injuries sustained in a car crash on Aug. 12.

Leraine Horstmanshoff • A regular on Utah’s folk and acoustic music scene, Horstmanshoff played a wide variety of instruments, from guitar to didgeridoo — as well as being a Kirtan yoga instructor, infusing her music with spirituality. Horstmanshoff died Dec. 22, at age 60, after battling cancer.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Chief Justice Richard C. Howe prior to being sworn in at the Utah Supreme Court, April 13, 1998.

Richard C. Howe • Howe served 22 years on the Utah Supreme Court, the last four as chief justice, before retiring in 2002. He also served 18 years in the Utah Legislature and is believed to be the only person in Utah history to serve in the Utah House, Utah Senate and Utah Supreme Court. Howe died June 19, at age 97, in Holladay, from natural causes.

Tony Ingle • Ingle was an assistant to basketball coach Roger Reid at Brigham Young University from 1989 to 1996, and briefly interim head coach when Reid was fired at the start of the disastrous ‘96-97 season; the Cougars, already 1-6 under Reid, went on to lose all 19 games Ingle coached. Ingle later coached at Kennesaw State University in his native Georgia, leading the Owls to an NCAA Division II championship in 2004. Ingle died Jan. 18, at age 68, in Provo, from complications of COVID-19.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) St. Mark’s Cathedral’s Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish delivered a pastoral letter on the war during Sunday’s service on April 26, 2004 in Salt Lake City.

Carolyn Tanner Irish • The first woman to become bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, Irish was a vocal advocate for equality and building bridges between faiths. She also channeled some of her family fortune — her father was the jewelry magnate Obert C. Tanner — to launch such philanthropic efforts as the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah. Irish died June 29, at age 81, at her home in Salt Lake City, after a long illness.

Michael Kearns • Kearns, a descendant of the family that for decades owned The Salt Lake Tribune, was publisher of the short-lived Salt Lake Observer in the late 1990s, as well as Utah Homes and Garden magazine. He died April 29, at age 65, from COVID-19.

Roselyn Kirk • Kirk, an educator who taught at Cottonwood High School and Salt Lake Community College, served on the Salt Lake City Council from 1985 to 1996. Kirk died March 9, at age 87, in Coronado, Calif., after a long illness.

Orlando La Fontaine • During his two terms as mayor of East Carbon, La Fontaine — a Cuban immigrant from the Bronx, who would wear his New York Yankees cap to City Council meetings — oversaw the merger of Sunnyside into the small Carbon County town. La Fontaine died July 11, at age 60, at University of Utah Hospital, from pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

Ernie Lively • Lively was an actor with more than 100 movie and TV credits, including “Turner & Hooch,” “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and its sequel — where he portrayed the dad of the character played by his daughter, Blake Lively. (All five of his kids took up acting; Blake and stepdaughter Robyn, star of the 1989 cult classic “Teen Witch,” are the most famous.) Lively moved to Heber City in 2003, in semiretirement; at the University of Utah Hospital in 2013, he became the first person to be treated with an experimental retrograde gene therapy for the heart. Lively died June 3, at age 74, in Los Angeles, from complications of cardiac arrest.

William Wing Louie • A World War II veteran and the first person of color to get an architect’s license in Utah, Louie designed impressive office blocks — the State Office Building on the Capitol campus among them — and inspiring Catholic churches, most notably the soaring roof of St. Ann’s on 2100 South. Louie died April 21, at age 98, in Salt Lake City.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes cornerback Aaron Lowe waves a Ty Jordan memorial flag before the Utes play the Brigham Young Cougars in football, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 in Provo. Lowe was shot and killed at a Salt Lake City party Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021.

Aaron Lowe • Lowe, a sophomore who played cornerback for the University of Utah football team, was the first recipient of a scholarship named for Ty Jordan, a Utes player (and Lowe’s best friend and high school classmate in Mesquite, Texas) who died from a gunshot last December. Lowe’s death became a rallying point for his grieving teammates as the Utes earned a berth in the Rose Bowl. Lowe died Sept. 26, at age 21, after being shot outside a party in Salt Lake City.

Mafatini Taimane-Laititi Mafatini • Mafatini, from Maui, Hawaii, was an offensive lineman in his freshman season with the Snow College Badgers football team. Mafatini died Oct. 3, at age 18, in a single-vehicle crash in Ephraim.

Brett Mathews • After graduating from Utah State University through the Air Force ROTC, Mathews was an Air Force officer who was kicked out of the military in 1998, under the policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — and went to court to get his honorable discharge. Mathews’ story, of coming out to his conservative Latter-day Saint parents, was part of director Arthur Dong’s documentary “Family Fundamentals,” which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. Mathews died Aug. 24, at age 49, after an accident at his home in Tooele.

Neil McCarthy • McCarthy coached Weber State University’s men’s basketball team from 1974 to 1985, racking up 205 wins — the second most of any Wildcats coach — and leading Weber State to four NCAA tournament appearances. McCarthy died Sept. 18, at age 81, at his home in Salt Lake City, from natural causes.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Allan McDonald pictured in 2016.

Allan McDonald • As an engineer at Morton Thiokol, the company that made booster rockets for NASA, McDonald refused to sign off on the launch of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 — citing the O-ring gaskets that stiffened in the cold, letting fuel leak and potentially causing an explosion. NASA and Thiokol officials overruled him and allowed the launch, which ended with Challenger exploding in midair, killing the seven astronauts on board. McDonald died March 6, at age 83, in Ogden, from complications after a fall.

L. Brent Miner • Miner and his family are credited with launching the first FM radio station in St. George, before he left broadcasting for a successful career in real estate. Miner died Nov. 23, at age 69, in his St. George home, from pneumonia related to COVID-19.

June M. Morris • Morris created a travel empire in Utah, with a successful travel agency (now part of Morris Murdock Travel) and a discount airline, Morris Air, that she sold to Southwest Airlines for $128.5 million in 1993. Morris died July 23, at age 90, in Salt Lake City.

Brad Mullen • As “Cuzzin Brad,” Mullen brought dry humor to Utah alternative radio stations over a 30-year broadcasting career that included stints at KJQ, X96, 101.9 The End and 103.1 The Wave. Mullen died June 30, at age 49.

Michael Orton • A stalwart member of the Utah Capitol press corps, Orton worked in recent years as an independent writer and producer, regularly posing questions to the likes of Govs. Gary Herbert and Spencer Cox. Orton died Dec. 15, at age 70, in Richfield, after a battle with interstitial lung disease.

Jerold Ottley • From 1974 to 1999, Ottley was musical director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (now The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square), establishing tighter membership rules and launching the choir’s much-loved Christmas concert series. Ottley died Feb. 19, at age 86, from complications of COVID-19.

Gaylen Parker • Parker, using the radio name Chuck Cooper, was a mainstay on Utah radio for decades — crossing from pop to country to talk as a host and station manager. Parker died Oct. 30, at age 68, in Salt Lake City.

John Pease • Pease was linebacker coach for the University of Utah in 1977, before taking a similar job at the University of Washington for five seasons, and then working 19 seasons as an assistant coach for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars. Pease — who played running back and linebacker for the Utes in 1963 and 1964 — came out of retirement as a consultant to the Utes, and became the Utes’ assistant head coach and defensive line coach from 2009 to 2010, and defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in 2015. Pease died Aug. 16, at age 77.

D. Michael Quinn • Quinn was a celebrated historian and former Brigham Young University professor who specialized in the past and policies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and whose writings on polygamy — and on women and the priesthood — led to his 1993 excommunication from the church as one of the “September Six.” Quinn was discovered dead on April 21, at age 77, in his home in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif..

Eleanor Kondo Ream • “Auntie El,” born in Hawaii and educated at BYU, influenced Utah eating for decades — by standardizing the recipes at the Chuck-a-Rama buffet restaurants in the 1980s, teaching culinary classes across the Salt Lake Valley, and sharing her recipes in several publications (including The Tribune). Ream died July 8, at age 89, in Salt Lake City.

Harry Reid • The former Democratic U.S. senator from Nevada had extensive Utah ties. He attended what is now Southern Utah University, for one, and had a building named after him on the Cedar City campus until partisan politics apparently led to its removal. Rising to Senate majority leader, he became the highest-ranking elected Latter-day Saint in U.S. history. Reid died Dec. 28, at age 82, in Henderson, Nev.

Mike Roberts • Roberts, a self-taught cook who started catering for friends and family, launched No Name Gourmet Personal Chef & Catering in 2008, and qualified for the World Food Championships three times. Roberts died Aug. 13, at age 61, of a heart attack.

Don Robinson • A veteran of Utah journalism, Robinson was editor of The Green Sheet and Murray Eagle from 1965 to 1984 — then worked on the copy desks of the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune, proofing pages at The Tribune into his 80s. Robinson died Sept. 18, at age 86, in Salt Lake City.

Jacques Rogge • Rogge, a former Belgian orthopedic surgeon and Olympic sailor, took over the presidency of the International Olympic Committee in 2001, when the IOC was shaken by a bribery scandal over the selection of Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Games. He led the Olympic movement for 12 years, starting with the Salt Lake City Games. Rogge’s death was announced by the IOC on Aug. 29, at age 79, in Deinze, Belgium.

Father Reynato “Rene” Rodillas • A Catholic priest born and educated in the Philippines, Rodillas was pastor at St. James the Just Parish in Ogden. Rodillas died Jan. 8, at age 58, in Ogden, three days after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

(Rodriguez family) Mariano Rufino Rodriguez, who worked as a respiratory therapist at Utah Valley Hospital’s newborn intensive care unit.

Mariano Rufino Rodriguez • A respiratory therapist in the newborn intensive care unit at Provo’s Utah Valley Hospital for 37 years, Rodriguez received a tribute by hundreds of his colleagues — and a fly-by by a LifeFlight helicopter — as he was dying in the same hospital where he worked. Rodriguez died Jan. 23, at age 65, in Provo, of complications from COVID-19.

Gabriela Sifuentes Castilla • Sifuentes Castilla, under her radio name Gaby Ramos, was a respected and popular host on the Spanish-language station La Más Picosita, 1550 AM — where she talked about such topics as violence, substance abuse, injustice, nutrition, love and self-worth on her show “La Neta Del Planeta (The Truth of the Planet).” Sifuentes Castilla was shot and killed Oct. 17, at age 38, in her family home in Taylorsville, in what police described as a domestic homicide.

Courtney Isaiah Smith • A beloved member of Utah’s music scene, able to play jazz, pop, soul and gospel, Smith was co-founder of Utah’s Jazz Vespers Quartet and the pianist for Calvary Baptist Church. Smith died Jan. 25, at age 37, in Salt Lake City, from complications of COVID-19.

Sam Stewart • Stewart made a fortune by creating small-cap investment funds at the firm he founded, Wasatch Advisors — then used some of that fortune to create, with his wife, Diane, the Stewart Family Foundation, which supported arts and civic groups around Utah. Stewart died Nov. 23, at age 79, at his home in Salt Lake City.

Paula M. Swaner • An esteemed psychologist and advocate for community health, Swaner was co-founder of the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, a 1,200-acre nature preserve and educational center in Park City (managed by Utah State University). Swaner died Nov. 30, at age 94, in Salt Lake City.

Wayne Thiebaud • The California artist — who spent his childhood during the Depression on a Utah farm — became famous for his dreamy depictions of everyday objects: Hot dogs, ice cream cones, cakes and more. Thiebaud died Dec. 25, at age 101, at his home in Sacramento, Calif.

Glen Tuckett • A legend in Brigham Young University’s athletics, Tuckett coached the Cougars’ baseball team for 17 years — including trips to the College World Series in 1968 and 1971 — before becoming the school’s athletic director from 1976 to 1993, during which time he hired football coach LaVell Edwards, expanded Cougar Stadium (now named for Edwards), and oversaw the football program’s growth into a powerhouse and, in 1984, a national champion. Tuckett died Oct. 26, at age 93, from a stroke, in Provo.

(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) J Truman, a lifelong downwinder activist, speaks at a launch event for “Downwinders of Utah Archive” at the J. Willard Marriott Libray.

J Truman • A fierce advocate for “downwinders,” Truman lobbied to end nuclear testing in Nevada and to secure compensation for people who suffered from cancer caused by radioactive fallout. Truman, who was first diagnosed with cancer when he was 17, died Feb. 4, at age 69, from cancer.

David Van Dame • At Alta Ski Area, where he skied with a Zen-like regularity for 48 years, Van Dame was a familiar sight with his red jacket and snow-crusted beard. He was known as “The Farmer” because of his skill at making parallel furrows to maximize his time in fresh powder, and was called “the most Alta of all Alta skiers.” Van Dame died Oct. 17, at age 74, after battling cancer.

Wes Vernon • Vernon, a Utah State University alumnus, was news director at KSL TV and radio from 1963 to 1968, then served four years as Washington bureau chief for KSL’s parent company, Bonneville International — before working as Washington correspondent for CBS Radio for 25 years. Vernon died Aug. 8, at age 89, from complications of Alzheimer’s, in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Thy Hoang Vu • At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vu and her husband, sous chef Tripp Mims, launched Mims SLC, an artisan bakery that began selling orders on Instagram in 2020 and grew to making hundreds of baked items a week. Vu died Oct. 16, at age 33, when the car she was driving was struck by a DUI suspect during a police chase.

M. Walker Wallace • The Utah businessman and real estate investor helped establish Snowbird and Park City Mountain Resort, and was part of the team that first pitched the idea of bringing the Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City. Wallace died April 6, at age 97, from causes incident to age.

(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Lila Weller at Weller Book Works in 2013.

Lila Weller • The matriarch of Salt Lake City’s Weller Book Works (previously called Sam Weller’s Bookstore and Zion Bookstore), Weller did the bookkeeping and invented a pre-computer inventory system. She continued working at the store until she was 104, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to stay home. Weller died April 15, at age 105, in Salt Lake City.

Claire Whitaker • A prolific TV writer whose credits include “The Waltons” and “Falcon Crest,” Whitaker wrote several short films produced in the 1960s at Brigham Young University — including “Man’s Search for Happiness,” an explanation of Latter-day Saint doctrine that screened in the church’s pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, and “Johnny Lingo,” a self-worth parable set in Polynesia that introduced the phrase “eight-cow woman” and is now a cringe-worthy camp classic. Whitaker died Sept. 23, at age 93, at her home in Santa Fe, N.M.

Beverly Jean “Bev” White • White, a Democrat who was “a pioneer for women’s rights,” represented Tooele in the Utah Legislature from 1971 to 1993 — and the first woman to serve on the state’s Board of Pardons and Parole. White died May 24, at age 92, in Taylorsville.

Ken Woolstenhulme • For 37 years, Woolstenhulme owned and operated Ken’s Kash, the grocery store and gas station that is the unofficial heart of the town of Oakley — where he lived his entire life and where he was mayor from 1986 to 1997. He also served as a Summit County commissioner from 1966 to 1973 and again from 2003 to 2009. Woolstenhulme died June 22, at age 90, in Oakley.

(Eddie and Annie Adams Educational Foundation) Henry Lee Adams, the first Black person to graduate from the University of Utah law school and to serve as a Utah assistant attorney general, died Oct. 15, 2021, at age 86.