Alan Jay Dayley

Alan Jay Dayley

November 9, 1933 ~ August 2, 2022

Alan Jay Dayley (88) passed away peacefully at his South Ogden home on August 2, 2022. He spent his final days in the loving company of his family, including his wife of sixty-three years, Joanne Barker Dayley. Admired for his indefatigable work ethic and cheerful disposition, Alan’s legacy of service, good humor, and kindness touched the lives of all who knew him. With deep loyalty to his family, church, community, and country, Alan led a rich life full of meaning, influence, and consequence. The love he shared will resonate for generations and last into the eternities.

Born in Ogden on November 9, 1933, to Gladys May Nate and C. Lee Dayley, Alan lived his first eighteen years in the Dayley family home on 22^nd Street. He attended Ogden schools and the LDS Thirteenth Ward where he formed long-lasting friendships.

In 1953, after graduating from Weber Jr. College, Alan enlisted in the Navy during the Korean War. Trained as Radioman 2^nd Class Petty Officer, he served on a supply ship out of Pearl Harbor and witnessed four oceanic nuclear tests. Following his active duty, Alan joined the Navy Reserves and became an intelligence officer, rising to the rank of Captain in 1966. Active on the State of Utah’s Blue & Gold team, he spent many years as recruitment officer for the U.S. Naval Academy. The recipient of a Joint Service Commendation Medal and a National Defense Medal, Alan counted his thirty years of military service among his greatest joys.

From 1956-58 Alan served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in London, England. To get to London he traveled by rail from Utah to New York and then boarded the Queen Mary, the famed trans-Atlantic ship. As Mission Secretary to the President, Elder Dayley helped coordinate the dedication of the London Temple and later persuaded the Church’s travel officers that it was more economical to fly missionaries to Europe than to ship them. Because of his efforts, his cohort of departing missionaries became the first in Church history to return to the United States from Europe by airplane.

Upon his return from London, he attended BYU to study English. He married Joanne Barker in the Salt Lake Temple on August 14, 1959. (They had first met in 1933 in the nursery at the Ogden Dee Hospital, having arrived on earth only two days apart.) Living for a short time in Bountiful, the young couple later settled in the Burch Creek area of South Ogden where they raised three children. Alan loved to travel with his family. He often remarked that he gave his children both “roots and wings.” 

Hired by Weber State in 1962 while completing a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Utah, Alan served a fifty-eight-year career as a college administrator. At Weber, Alan’s titles included Dean of Men, Dean of Students, Assistant to the President, Director of Grants and Contracts, Director of the Multicultural Center, and University Ombudsman. A fixture on campus, “Dr. Dayley” counseled and guided countless students to degree completion. In 2009, Weber State honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. A fervent supporter of Weber State athletics and the Wildcat Club, he enjoyed season tickets to WSU basketball and football for decades.   

As a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Alan served in many ward and stake positions. As Bishop of the 92^nd Ward (a singles ward) he proudly oversaw dozens of marriages and often took credit for matchmaking. He served as Stake Executive Secretary to three Stake Presidents and enjoyed a long-standing calling as Regional Public Affairs Director for Northern Utah. For many years he participated in Ogden’s Interfaith Works Coalition, helping to foster relations among Ogden’s diverse religious communities.

A charter member of the Mt. Ogden Rotary Club, Alan organized many service initiatives with local and global impact. He rarely missed a meeting and served a term as chapter president.

Among all his activities and accomplishments, none exceeded his success as a husband, father, and grandfather. His love and support of his family knew no bounds. It was fitting that only three days prior to his death, under home hospice care and while experiencing rapid physical decline, Alan insisted he attend his family’s multi-day reunion in Heber Canyon, an event he and Joanne host each summer. “I want to go out laughing, not crying,” he cheered. Memorializing the happy event with a family photo while encircled by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren proved to be his final life accomplishment.

Surviving family include his wife Joanne; three children, Cheryl Quackenbush (Gary), Lisa Newman (Mark), Robert Dayley (Carrie); 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; two brothers, Melvin Dayley and Leland Dayley, and two sisters, Karen Glass and Darlene Scott. He was preceded in death by his father C. Lee Dayley, mother Gladys May Nate, step-mother Lila Blanchard Dayley, as well as his older brother Doug Dayley and two infant grandchildren, Hannah Barker Dayley and Sarah Fletcher Dayley. 

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at the LDS Burch Creek 3^rd Ward Meeting House, 5161 S. 1300 E., South Ogden. Friends may visit with family on Friday from 6:00-8:00pm at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. and Saturday from 9:30-10:30am at the church. A graveside dedication will follow at Lindquist’s Washington Heights Memorial Park, 4500 Washington Blvd.

In lieu of flowers, the Dayley family asks for cash donations to the Alan and Joanne Dayley Endowment for Students with Disabilities at Weber State University (donate at give.weber.edu/dayley or call 801-626-6073 for details).  The family offers a special thank you to the wonderful staff of Active Hospice for helping Alan live his final days at home, surrounded by family. 

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