Rodney Isaac Oliver

Rodney Isaac Oliver, 76, passed away September 14, 2019 after a valiant fight with cancer, which he fought with dignity. He was born on May 25, 1943 to Isaac and Betty Jo Oliver and was raised in Lark, Utah where he excelled in sports, especially basketball. He played basketball for Jordan High School, Snow College, Southern Utah University and Utah State. He received his Masters degree in Education from the University of Utah. He was married to his college sweetheart, Edith Ann Wells Oliver for 55 years. Throughout his career he taught and coached at Olympus High School, Jordan High School and Brighton High School. They raised their 4 children in Sandy, Utah: Jed Isaac of Herriman; Aimee Oettli (Mark) of Houston, Texas; Jason of Plano, Texas and Kristy Ann Johnson (Alan) of Herriman. He taught his children many important lessons in life, two of which seemed to stand out the most, the importance of a strong work ethic and to always do their best. He has six grandkids that adored him: Scott, Natalie, Allyson, Hunter, Connor and Bridger. The burial and a graveside service will be held at Memorial Redwood Cemetery in Salt Lake City on September 19, at 11:30am. Rod is preceded in death by his daughter Angie, his sister Judy, and his parents.
Rod was an avid outdoorsman and loved camping, fishing and hunting. He was extremely involved in his children’s lives growing up and coached many of their sports teams. His children have fond memories of the many family camping trips and adventures that they took together.
Growing up in Lark Utah, in the shadow of the Kennecott mine, he spent endless hours playing in the open fields and canyons. Hard work was a foundation of Rod’s life, and even at a young age he ran his own paper route. His father worked in the mine and Rod worked multiple jobs early on in his life at Kennecott, including track gang boss and in the smelter.
He loved politics and was a proud democrat supporter. Throughout his life he maintained a fantastic sense of humor and positive attitude that he held on to even until his last breath. He worked hard his entire life to provide a life for his family, at times working 2-3 jobs.
He was meticulous, clean, and neat and always appreciated tthe extra care given to take care of things. He loved his children and grandchildren dearly and centered his life on his family.
He loved to travel with his sweetheart in their RV and visit national parks and outdoor sites. He loved movies as well as music and would rarely say no to dessert (especially chocolate).
He maintained a heavy focus on physical fitness and woke up most days at 4am to conduct his usual fitness routine. After retiring from teaching later on in life he found his love of teaching again as he spent much of his time substituting, often times in special education classes.
He fought a valiant fight with cancer and was forever grateful to the wonderful care from his beloved wife and oldest son who spent countless hours caring for him in their home, and also for the attention and care he received from many wonderful nurses and doctors at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
He was loved dearly and will be missed.
Service Information

Graveside Service
September 19, 2019 at 11:30 AM
Memorial Redwood Mortuary and Cemetery 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah 84123