1942
William
2017
William Franklin “Bill” Elmer
February 7, 1942 — February 16, 2017
William Franklin “Bill” Elmer, 75, of Layton (recently moved from Woods Cross) passed away Feb. 16, 2017 after a short sudden illness. He was born in American Fork on Feb. 7, 1942 to William James and Verna Durfee Elmer, the oldest of 10 children, which may be why family was so important to him.
He loved meeting with family and spent much of his vacation time with the Durfee family and others at reunions. He showed an early aptitude with mechanical things, from overhauling a carburetor and a large V-8 engine with simple hand tools to working on nuclear missile launch code decoders; he was always happy when he had a big project to work on.
Bill served an LDS mission to the Hawaiian Islands from 1961 to 1963. There he developed a deep love for the Hawaiian people, culture, and scenery. Later, he would go to a restaurant called “The Hawaiian” and reminisce among the indoor rainstorm and Hawaiian dancers. He returned with his family to visit his old areas and the church house he helped construct.
Bill’s best decision was to marry a shy girl from Millcreek, Kathryn “Kathy” Wilkinson, who tried hard to keep him out of trouble throughout all his projects and adventures. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple, June 15, 1964. She was the stabilizing force of his family and helped him balance his exploits with the routine responsibilities that come with having a family of six children.
It was hard to know what Bill really liked because he pretended to like things for his family’s sake. He was a huge baseball fan, for example, coaching one son’s team with two other sons, attending Salt Lake Gull games and teaching baseball for years in the back yard. As soon as those sons moved on from baseball, he was never seen watching baseball in person or on TV again. Other endeavors were the same, and at times, both he and his children were engaged in activities they both disliked, each thinking the other one loved it. It was the “together” part that everyone loved.
Bill loved wood- and leather-working and created many treasures, including a cupboard and rocking crib for his daughter to a beautiful 3-foot wide clock made from a stump. In later years, when woodworking became difficult, he switched to oil painting and crafts. He was meticulous with the projects that interested him, such as bullet reloading, clock restoration and creating useful crafts like M&M dispensers.
He enjoyed hunting, camping, fishing, and driving adventures with the family. One of his first major purchases was a second-hand tent trailer, and he loved camping in the Uintas, American Fork canyon, at Hardware Ranch, and the reunions at the family property in Enterprise, Utah.
He acted tough on the pet front, although a tortoise named Giselle melted his heart; when no one was looking, he would spend hours with her on his chest. This was a good metaphor for Bill – a rough exterior to mask his tender insides.
Bill loved game night, but would only play if other family members were coming over. He would frequently ask “Is tonight the night?”. Again, it was the family he loved more than the games. One of the few indications that Bill was preparing to return to heaven was the games he had played for years had become more difficult. He seemed to enjoy game night and family interactions more in the last few weeks.
Bill is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Kathy, sons William (Shar), David (Kristi), Steven (Russell), Bennett (Shannon) and Phillip (Becca), and daughter Michelle (David) Green, and 13 grandchildren; siblings Verna Mae Bird, Selma Wright, Mary Eggett, Jerry, Dan, and Nancy Buxton. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Ken and Irwin.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Country Creek LDS Ward, 625 S. 750 E., Layton, with a viewing prior to services from 9 to 9:45 a.m. A viewing will also be held Monday, Feb. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the church. Interment will be at Lake View Memorial Cemetery, 1640 Lakeview Dr., Bountiful.Service Information
Viewing February 20, 2017 at 6:00 - 8:00 PM
625 South 750 East, Layton, Utah
Viewing February 21, 2017 at 9:00 AM
625 South 750 East, Layton, Utah
Funeral Service
February 21, 2017 at 10:00 AM
625 South 750 East, Layton, Utah
He loved meeting with family and spent much of his vacation time with the Durfee family and others at reunions. He showed an early aptitude with mechanical things, from overhauling a carburetor and a large V-8 engine with simple hand tools to working on nuclear missile launch code decoders; he was always happy when he had a big project to work on.
Bill served an LDS mission to the Hawaiian Islands from 1961 to 1963. There he developed a deep love for the Hawaiian people, culture, and scenery. Later, he would go to a restaurant called “The Hawaiian” and reminisce among the indoor rainstorm and Hawaiian dancers. He returned with his family to visit his old areas and the church house he helped construct.
Bill’s best decision was to marry a shy girl from Millcreek, Kathryn “Kathy” Wilkinson, who tried hard to keep him out of trouble throughout all his projects and adventures. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple, June 15, 1964. She was the stabilizing force of his family and helped him balance his exploits with the routine responsibilities that come with having a family of six children.
It was hard to know what Bill really liked because he pretended to like things for his family’s sake. He was a huge baseball fan, for example, coaching one son’s team with two other sons, attending Salt Lake Gull games and teaching baseball for years in the back yard. As soon as those sons moved on from baseball, he was never seen watching baseball in person or on TV again. Other endeavors were the same, and at times, both he and his children were engaged in activities they both disliked, each thinking the other one loved it. It was the “together” part that everyone loved.
Bill loved wood- and leather-working and created many treasures, including a cupboard and rocking crib for his daughter to a beautiful 3-foot wide clock made from a stump. In later years, when woodworking became difficult, he switched to oil painting and crafts. He was meticulous with the projects that interested him, such as bullet reloading, clock restoration and creating useful crafts like M&M dispensers.
He enjoyed hunting, camping, fishing, and driving adventures with the family. One of his first major purchases was a second-hand tent trailer, and he loved camping in the Uintas, American Fork canyon, at Hardware Ranch, and the reunions at the family property in Enterprise, Utah.
He acted tough on the pet front, although a tortoise named Giselle melted his heart; when no one was looking, he would spend hours with her on his chest. This was a good metaphor for Bill – a rough exterior to mask his tender insides.
Bill loved game night, but would only play if other family members were coming over. He would frequently ask “Is tonight the night?”. Again, it was the family he loved more than the games. One of the few indications that Bill was preparing to return to heaven was the games he had played for years had become more difficult. He seemed to enjoy game night and family interactions more in the last few weeks.
Bill is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Kathy, sons William (Shar), David (Kristi), Steven (Russell), Bennett (Shannon) and Phillip (Becca), and daughter Michelle (David) Green, and 13 grandchildren; siblings Verna Mae Bird, Selma Wright, Mary Eggett, Jerry, Dan, and Nancy Buxton. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Ken and Irwin.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Country Creek LDS Ward, 625 S. 750 E., Layton, with a viewing prior to services from 9 to 9:45 a.m. A viewing will also be held Monday, Feb. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the church. Interment will be at Lake View Memorial Cemetery, 1640 Lakeview Dr., Bountiful.Service Information
Viewing February 20, 2017 at 6:00 - 8:00 PM
625 South 750 East, Layton, Utah
Viewing February 21, 2017 at 9:00 AM
625 South 750 East, Layton, Utah
Funeral Service
February 21, 2017 at 10:00 AM
625 South 750 East, Layton, Utah
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