G. Stephen Tarbet

George Stephen Tarbet

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of George Stephen Tarbet, 77, of Kaysville, Utah on June 18, 2019 following a brief, but valiant battle with cancer.

Born on May 22, 1942 in Logan Utah, Stephen was the first child of George Tidwell Tarbet and Ruth Pack Reeder.  From an early age he began working the family farm in Benson, Utah with his father. This taught him the importance of hard work, an appreciation of the land, and the value of close proximity to a farm implement store.  At age seven his brother, Brian was born and at age 14 he welcomed a sister, LeAnne whom he tried to protect from Brian.

After completion of high school, Stephen served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Central Atlantic States mission, then returned to obtain his Bachelor’s degree from Utah State University. During his time there he joined the ROTC, was commissioned as an Army Medical Service Corps officer and was married to Cheryl Keck. In 1969 they were sent to San Antonio, Texas where their first child, Jennifer, was born.  Stephen was then deployed for a combat tour in Vietnam and returned a decorated Army Veteran. Upon returning home he went back to Utah State to complete his Masters Degree in Accounting. During this time a son, Jason, was born.

After receiving his degree Stephen began his career at Commercial Security Bank in Ogden and moved his young family to a small home in North Ogden where another son, Ben, was born. He later worked for Key Bank where he spent much of his career, ultimately progressing to the position of Chief Financial Officer.

As the family prepared to grow, they moved to Kaysville, where two additional sons were born: Marcus and Randy. Stephen taught his children the same work ethic he learned from his parents by working alongside them on the family farm and on projects at home.  This taught them self-reliance and greatly expanded their vocabularies. They also took time to play together as a family; enjoying camping trips, family vacations and sports.

Later in his working career, Larry Miller invited Stephen to come work for him.  While this was a difficult decision at the time he came to love the challenges he was presented with this career change.  He had the opportunity to lead many projects including being instrumental in the development of the Megaplex theater chain.  He loved the many friends and associates he made along the way. He often said he felt very lucky to have had two wonderful careers. It was around this time Stephen and Cheryl divorced.  In 2001, Stephen married Ruth Ann Butler.

After he retired, Stephen continued to enjoy old hobbies and develop new ones.  Even though he had spent a lifetime around horses, he expanded his knowledge by taking horseback riding lessons with Ruth Ann.  He loved to learn new things and they enjoyed listening to music, learning about history, reading and traveling together. Most recently they took a trip to Israel together which he thoroughly enjoyed.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Stephen has served faithfully in many callings including Scoutmaster, Bishop, Temple Worker, and many others.  He especially enjoyed working with the youth in the temple baptistry or in Sunday School.

Stephen had a deep love of the land and the beauty of the earth.  He enjoyed continuing to work the family farm with his brother even after their father, George Tarbet, passed away. He loved to see a crop ready for harvest and relished in the results of his labors. One of the things that made him most happy was working with his family on the farm or elsewhere.  He was often there to help his sons with their own projects and enjoyed working shoulder to shoulder with them.

Above all, he loved his family and had an intense sense of duty towards them.  He loved spending time with his grandchildren whether a trip to the movies, attending their events, or working with them on the farm. He was fiercely patriotic with an intense concern for the future of the country he loved.  His family’s heritage and history was very important to him and he was diligent visiting his uncles and caring for his mother. He taught us the importance of duty to family. He lived a full, rich life which impacted many people and leaves a legacy of faith, integrity, hard work and devotion to family.

Stephen is survived by his wife, Ruth Ann Tarbet and her son, Kevin Bell; his children, Jennifer, Jason (Heidi), Ben (Aimee), Marcus (Shandra), and Randy (Jessica); 15 grandchildren; his mother, Ruth (William) Reeder; his siblings, Brian (Mary) Tarbet and LeAnne (Jim) Everton; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service in celebration of Stephen's life will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 10 a.m. at the Kaysville Utah Stake Center, 615 North Flint Street, Kaysville UT.  Friends may visit family Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N. Fairfield Road, Layton, UT and Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the church.

Interment, Richmond Cemetery, Richmond, Utah.

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