Please read the poem, “God Made A Farmer” by Paul Harvey - it sums up his life
John Dawson Jorgensen, age 86, of Roosevelt, died on January 30, 2025, at their condo in American Fork, Utah.
He was born April 9, 1938, in Provo, Utah, in the maternity house to Henry and Lila Thompson Jorgensen. He attended Farrier Jr. High and graduated from Provo High in 1956. He then worked at Geneva Steel and Ironton while attending BYU.
John married Louise Gentry in 1960 and graduated from BYU in 1963. They moved to Ioka to help her dad on the ranch and he started teaching at Todd elementary in Uintah School District in 1963. He was the district media director for many years and retired after 35 years. He then went to work for Duchesne School District and worked for them as Director of the Youth in Care program until 2023. He loved working with the youth .
At age 14 he contracted Polio and had both types. He was placed in the old Salt Lake hospital in an Iron Lung for months, with little chance of survival . He received a blessing from Apostle Matthew Cowley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was visiting the hospital to bless a young boy from Vernal. He was able to leave the hospital in a few weeks and Apostle Cowley was so amazed he recorded the event in his book and called it “The Faith of a Child.” He was never a day without pain from that young age but did not let it stop him from his teaching assignments, his church callings, or working on the ranch.
John earned a Master degree from Utah State University and loved teaching the young students. He loved being a rancher, even with all the uncertainty of weather, calf prices, water availability and the price of new machinery. He had a range permit and loved being on a horse for a week as he took the cows to the high mountains every spring. He was President of the Duchesne Cattlemen's Assoc. and on the board for the Utah Cattlemen's Assoc. He served on the Johnson Water Board and other civic organizations.
He especially loved his church callings and served in the Vernal Temple for over 20 years. He made a trip every August to celebrate his wedding anniversary by attending Temple sessions in every Temple in Utah and many out of Utah and the United States. He either attended or watched all BYU basketball and football games, went to the National Finals Rodeo, and was able to travel to many foreign countries to see his daughter Jeanne and her family while her husband worked for the Foreign Service. He even took a River Cruise through many countries. It was hard, though, to convince him to leave the quiet peace of the ranch.
John is survived by his wife of 64 years, Louise; four children, Stan (Stephanie Jorgensen, American Fork; Judy (Dave) Imlay, Herriman; Jay (Melissa) Jorgensen, Provo; Jeanne (Charles J.) Hamilton, Ashburn, Virginia; 8 grandchildren Mitchell, Brice, Enzo, Elena, Bailey, Caroline, Sydney, Payton; and a great-grandson, Axel.
He was also thankful for good friends and neighbors who helped him on the ranch: Mike Wakefield, Bart Willis, Gary Scholes, Paul Percival, Bruce Dart, Adam Percival, Dusty Lemon, Dan Crozier, and many others. He also enjoyed being friends for many years with Curtis Dastrup, Larry Abplanap, Rulen Egli, Gordon Wight, and Jay Wright.
A viewing for the public will be held Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at the Hullinger Mortuary from 10-10:45 am. Following will be a private family service.
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
10:00 - 10:45 am (Mountain time)
Hullinger Mortuary
Visits: 2205
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors