James Featherstone

James Dee Featherstone, our Grandpa Dee, 88, left this world on February 25, 2021, after a full and happy life.
He was born on the dining room table of the family home on December 18, 1932 to Ruth Jacques and James Joseph Featherstone. As a child he was known as Buzz, because he never held still, and even at 88, that nickname still fit. He was always at his best when there was a project to be accomplished.
He grew up in the Liberty Park area of Salt Lake, playing ball in summer and ice skating on the pond in winter. He was voted Athlete of the Year at South High School, participating in basketball, football and track. He liked to recall how he held the state high school discus throwing record for about 15 minutes, before he was beat out by a subsequent competitor. After graduating in 1951, he attended a few semesters at the University of Utah before being drafted into the U.S. Army for the Korean War. The war ended while he was still in basic training, so instead of fighting in Korea, he spent two years touring Europe and playing basketball for the Army; eventually he wound up playing professional basketball for an Italian team. His Army and basketball years were some of his favorite memories.
On March 7, 1957, he married his one true love, Sally LaDon Paulson, in Salt Lake City. They enjoyed 64 happy years together. They were truly a team in everything they undertook, the anchors of our family and partners in everything that life threw their way. Dee went to work for his dad in the family tile business, JJ Tile, and when his dad retired, he took over. He was known for his workmanship and honesty, and built a successful business over the years that provided a secure, comfortable and happy life for his family. He worked hard and played harder, and his hard work gave us many good times spent camping, fly fishing, waterskiing and traveling. In his retirement he took up bicycling, bowling, and baking, and he enjoyed these activities well into his 80’s. He was famous for his chocolate chip cookies, and for 2 perfect bowling scores. He may well be the most patient and even-tempered man that ever lived, especially in the challenges he faced the past few years. He met each limitation that came his way with good humor and cheerfulness and kept us entertained to the end.
He will be missed by many, but most of all by his wife, Sally of Salt Lake, children, Mark and Lisa Featherstone of Mt. Prospect, IL and Lynne and Dan Metcalf of Syracuse, UT; 13 grandchildren and 2, soon to be 3, great grandchildren; brother, Keith Featherstone, and his Paulson family. Preceded in death by his son, Blake Dee Featherstone, his parents and his sister, Marvis Collett.
Funeral Services will be held at 12:00 pm, Thursday March 4th, at the Murray Memorial Mortuary, 5850 S. 900 East, Murray, with a viewing prior to the funeral from 11 to 12. Burial will follow at Redwood Memorial Estates, 6500 S Redwood Road, West Jordan.
Services will be live-streamed via Zoom using the following link: https://zoom.us/j/8012981564
Service Information
Viewing March 4, 2021 at 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
5850 South 900 East, Murray, UT 84121





Funeral Service
March 4, 2021 at 12:00 PM
5850 South 900 East, Murray, UT 84121