Melvin Jay Teasdale

Melvin Jay Teasdale, age 74, returned home to his Father in Heaven on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
Jay was born March 17, 1946 to Melvin James Teasdale and Elaine Cutler in Payson, Utah. He grew up in Spanish Fork and graduated from Spanish Fork High.
At a young age, Jay had a desire to serve his country and joined the navy. He served from Aug 1966 to May 1970 on the USS Iwo Jima as a draftsman. During his time on the ship, he quickly got out of doing KP duty after he was assigned to make the coffee. Being a good “Mormon” boy Jay had never tasted coffee but made it up for the crew anyway. After one sip, they told him he was never allowed to ever make coffee again.
Jay married the love of his life, Linda, on July 17, 1970 in the Idaho Falls temple. They were blessed with two boys who Jay loved and they loved and looked up to him in return.
Jay had many different jobs during his career, doing anything that would provide for his family. Some of these jobs included selling concessions at the Salt Lake Gulls baseball games, inspecting fiberglass tanks, putting cases on computers, packing books to ship out to customers, and delivering auto parts, though most of his career was spent working as a draftsman. He even worked at a gas station and was shot three times during a robbery. During this entire time, his only concern was for his family. He would do anything and take any job to support them.
Jay enjoyed camping and hiking with the Scouts. Although never an Eagle Scout himself, he made sure that his two boys achieved it. He enjoyed spending time camping and fishing with his family. One of the biggest smiles he had on his face was when he took his grandkids fishing at Palisades Lake. He taught them how to fish and even clean the ones they caught. One of his favorite times of the year was the Fourth of July. He loved getting up early in the morning and taking his family up Millcreek Canyon to cook a large breakfast for the family. This was an every year tradition. Early on, it was with neighbor friends and later was just with extended family.
If you know either of Jay’s boys, you will know that they both love amusement parks. They would often discuss roller coasters and talk about the newest rides. This love came from their dad. Many times, he would take his family to California in order to try out the latest rides. He loved it so much that on more than one occasion he would bribe his youngest son with ice cream in order to get him to go on a ride. The phrase Bryan often used, “You have to try it at least once,” came from time with his dad getting the family to try new things.
Since money was often tight, Jay learned to do things himself. If there was a car repair that needed to be done, he would go to the library, find the auto repair book for his car, and copy the pages he needed. When he needed more space in his home, he figured out how to do the work himself and built a large addition. If there was something he did not know how to do, he learned it. One of the greatest gifts that he gave his boys was having them work alongside him. When it came to putting a new roof on his house, he had both of his boys on the roof teaching them how to do it. These skills helped him a lot in his time serving as a home teacher. He would take his sons along to help. Countless car and plumbing issues were solved through his service.
Jay is survived by his wife Linda; His son Brett (Diana) Teasdale; His daughter-in-law Marci. His grandchildren; Andrea, AJ, Cameron, Lexi, Claire, and Aidan. His brothers; Dean (Elaine) Teasdale and Keith (Carla) Teasdale. He was preceded in death by his parents; Melvin and Elaine, and his son Bryan.
Due to the current Covid-19 Pandemic, there will be no public funeral or viewing. A small immediate family graveside service will be held to honor Jay.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating for family expenses.