1938
James
2020
James Marvin Smyly
February 22, 1938 — December 2, 2020
Our beloved father, James Marvin Smyly sadly passed away at the age of 82 on December 2, 2020 from complications resulting from Covid-19. James was born on February 22, 1938 in Axis, Alabama. He was the 4th child of Marvin Smyly and Zona Ruth Tannehill. He had 7 brothers and two sisters. He was born and raised on a small rural farm, where he learned he had to work hard from a young age to get what he wanted. He went to school and got a job as a draftsman in Houston, Texas. When he decided it was time to find a wife, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1960. He met Ilse Doris Jelitto at a church dance. She had just immigrated from East Germany, and he spoke no German, and she spoke little English. But he was so taken with this beautiful and shy girl, that somehow they made it work. They were married on September 29, 1961, and were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on November 9, 1967. They were married for over 57 years. Together they had six children, one daughter and 5 sons. Marina (57), Rodney (55), Dietmar (54), Torsten (51), Ruben (49) and Christopher (44). James lost his beautiful wife Ilse to Alzheimer’s in 2018. He has been so deeply lonely without her these past two years and missed her greatly.
James was born and raised a classic farm boy. He loved to tell stories of his times on the farm when he and his brothers were growing up. He was always a hard worker, with a good strong work ethic, which he passed on to all of his boys. He enjoyed the outdoors, landscaping, gardening, bird watching, and building bird houses. He played the trombone as a boy, and loved to continue to play it throughout his life. He was a handyman and a craftsman, and loved doing projects around his home. He always had a passion for sailing, and owned several Hobie Cats, that he would take his sons out sailing with him on. James and his brother-in-law Von Lofgreen, built a cabin together in Bear Lake, where they could enjoy sailing and spending time with their families. He also enjoyed traveling and exploring. He would often take out his scooter, or his convertible and go for scenic drives around the many canyons along the Wasatch Front. One of his life-long passions was antique cars, classic cars, or just cars in general. He loved shopping for and purchasing a new car. His sons loved spending time with him at the annual car shows, where they could check out all the newest car models. James and Ilse loved spending time with their children, and especially their grandchildren. They would always make sure the holidays were a special and fun time for the entire family.
As Ilse’s Alzheimer’s progressed, James had to make the hard decision to sell his beloved home of 49 years. In 2016, they sold their home in Holladay and moved to Legacy in South Jordan. James took care of Ilse until she required more care than he could give. He then moved with her to the memory care unit because he simply did not want to be without her. After her passing, his own dementia had increased such that he remained in the memory care unit these past 2 years. We would like to specifically thank all those special caretakers – the CNA’s and aides at Legacy, for taking such good care of our parents, and especially our Dad, and for showing him so much love and patience these past 3 years. There were definitely trying times, and we cannot express how grateful we are for the unending love and kindness you showed him. We will greatly miss our visits with you, we have come to consider you our good friends.
James leaves behind his daughter Marina (Gary), sons Rodney, Dietmar (Diane), Torsten, Ruben, and Christopher, and 7 grandchildren, Zachary, Zandon, Savannah, Mykayla, Nicholas, Christopher, and London. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Ilse, father Marvin, mother Zona Ruth, brother Thomas, brother Bobby, and sister Jean.
Graveside services were held on Wednesday December 9, at 2:00 pm at the Memorial Holladay Cemetery.
James’s sons would like to express how much they will forever love and appreciate their father. They will miss him greatly. WE LOVE YOU DAD!!
James was born and raised a classic farm boy. He loved to tell stories of his times on the farm when he and his brothers were growing up. He was always a hard worker, with a good strong work ethic, which he passed on to all of his boys. He enjoyed the outdoors, landscaping, gardening, bird watching, and building bird houses. He played the trombone as a boy, and loved to continue to play it throughout his life. He was a handyman and a craftsman, and loved doing projects around his home. He always had a passion for sailing, and owned several Hobie Cats, that he would take his sons out sailing with him on. James and his brother-in-law Von Lofgreen, built a cabin together in Bear Lake, where they could enjoy sailing and spending time with their families. He also enjoyed traveling and exploring. He would often take out his scooter, or his convertible and go for scenic drives around the many canyons along the Wasatch Front. One of his life-long passions was antique cars, classic cars, or just cars in general. He loved shopping for and purchasing a new car. His sons loved spending time with him at the annual car shows, where they could check out all the newest car models. James and Ilse loved spending time with their children, and especially their grandchildren. They would always make sure the holidays were a special and fun time for the entire family.
As Ilse’s Alzheimer’s progressed, James had to make the hard decision to sell his beloved home of 49 years. In 2016, they sold their home in Holladay and moved to Legacy in South Jordan. James took care of Ilse until she required more care than he could give. He then moved with her to the memory care unit because he simply did not want to be without her. After her passing, his own dementia had increased such that he remained in the memory care unit these past 2 years. We would like to specifically thank all those special caretakers – the CNA’s and aides at Legacy, for taking such good care of our parents, and especially our Dad, and for showing him so much love and patience these past 3 years. There were definitely trying times, and we cannot express how grateful we are for the unending love and kindness you showed him. We will greatly miss our visits with you, we have come to consider you our good friends.
James leaves behind his daughter Marina (Gary), sons Rodney, Dietmar (Diane), Torsten, Ruben, and Christopher, and 7 grandchildren, Zachary, Zandon, Savannah, Mykayla, Nicholas, Christopher, and London. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Ilse, father Marvin, mother Zona Ruth, brother Thomas, brother Bobby, and sister Jean.
Graveside services were held on Wednesday December 9, at 2:00 pm at the Memorial Holladay Cemetery.
James’s sons would like to express how much they will forever love and appreciate their father. They will miss him greatly. WE LOVE YOU DAD!!
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of James Marvin Smyly, please visit our flower store.
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