Jeff Burton Tidwell

Jeff Burton Tidwell passed away on March 28, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 93. He was an avid engineer with a logical mind who was passionate about fixing things and working through even the toughest problems. He often joked when encountering a difficult challenge: “This is not rocket science, but even if it was, I can do that too!”

Jeff grew up during the Great Depression in Elmo and Wellington, Utah. He was born on December 14, 1930 in the small town of Elmo to Hyrum Leo Tidwell and Inez Oviatt. He had three brothers and two sisters. His father was a farmer growing beans and raising pigs. He moved to Lark, Utah, where he attended Bingham High School. There, he enjoyed playing football and basketball and reading anything he could get his hands on.

Following a long family tradition of service, Jeff joined the U.S. Air Force in September 1950. He served through the Korean War until September 1953. During his time in the military service, he worked stateside repairing air force bombers. It was during this time that he was inspired by a chance encounter with an engineer to become a “rocket scientist.”

After his honorable discharge with the rank of Airman First Class (A1C), Jeff attended Carbon Jr. College in Wellington for one year, later earning a bachelor's degree in mathematics at the University of Utah. He became a Missile Systems Engineer with Sperry Utah Co. in Salt Lake City, Utah and later with Hughes Aircraft Co. in Tucson, Arizona and towards the end of his career joined AiResearch.

In 1960, Jeff married Juanita Joyce Vaughn Goodson in Elko, Nevada, and they were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in May 1964 with Juanita’s two children from a previous marriage: Gary Richard Goodson and Wanda Jean Goodson. Together, they had two daughters, Patricia Ann Tidwell and Sylvia Joyce Tidwell. Juanita Joyce Vaughn preceded him in death in 1998.

Jeff enjoyed the outdoors and loved hunting, fishing, and camping all over Utah, Arizona, and Mexico. He spent many happy times discussing physics, collecting stamps and coins, building airplane models, researching family history, and traveling the world with his daughters Sylvia and Wanda.

Jeff was a beloved member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In September 2000, Jeff started a whole new life when he married Judith “Judy” Samuelson Garff and moved back to Salt Lake City. He was finally able to fulfill a lifelong wish and served a Church Education Department mission, from 2003 to 2005, with his wife Judy, where they were the first church education missionaries to serve in Wales. They loved their time in Cardiff, teaching young adult students and influenced many lives.

Jeff had a great love and talent for family history research. After returning home, he and Judy were missionaries at the Family History Center in Salt Lake City from 2005 to 2007. He worked tirelessly behind the scenes to find names to send to LDS temples. Even during the last months of his life, he endeavored to use his skills to bring others closer to their families.

He is predeceased by his daughter, Patricia Smith (Lance), and survived by his loving children Sylvia T Scheuring (Jerome), Wanda Larson (Lane, deceased), and Gary Goodson (Patricia), many grandchildren, his wife, Judy, and Judy’s children, Ellen Garff Hawkins (Darren), Lisa Garff Foster (Michael), and Mark S. Garff (Ginger).

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 12:00 noon at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel on 4100 Camille St., Holladay, UT, with a viewing one hour prior to services. Interment at Memorial Redwood Cemetery, 6500 S. Redwood Rd, West Jordan, UT.