Stewart Duane Wayment

 Stewart Duane Wayment, 32, graduated to Arctic Angel on April 27, 2023 doing what he loved in the rugged mountains of Alaska. Those flying with him that day say it was beautiful and that “Stewart was happy.”

Stewart was born in Spokane, Washington on March 18, 1991 (the same birthday as his beloved oldest sister who is 8 years his senior) to Stacie Weaver and Neal Carl Wayment. He attended public schools in Spokane, Washington; Boise, Idaho; and graduated from Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada. He attended Utah State University and was a member of the Army ROTC detachment.

After high school graduation, Stew’s dad introduced him to fly fishing which became one of the great passions of his life. Almost immediately, he was catching more fish than his dad; he was a natural with a fly rod in his hand. For the rest of his life, he couldn’t pass a fishing hole without throwing a line in it. Being in the outdoors, whether it was fly fishing, bow hunting, backpacking or hiking with his dear wife and boys, thrilled him.

Stewart served a very successful mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to Peru Lima Central. The most significant contact of his mission was Kiara Mercedes Ivon Sotelo Grandez. They married about a year-and-a-half after completion of his mission on December 7, 2013 on the beach in Lima, Peru. They were later sealed together in the Logan Utah temple. Theirs is the love story of a generation! Stewart’s greatest love and devotion is to his family and he always strived to be the kind of husband and father that his Heavenly Father wanted him to be.

Stewart was the third of four children and was an Eagle Scout. Everything he did, he did with gusto, love, humor and good cheer. Family is everything to him and he always asked his mom and dad about news and pictures from his extended family. His heart is of pure gold, filled with compassion, patience, integrity and love for his Savior. He is the best-of-the-best. His C Company commander said that from the moment he met him, he knew Stew was going to be an outstanding aviator and Warrant Officer.

Stewart served for a time with the Utah Army National Guard. He then became an Active-Duty soldier and served at Ft. Carson, CO before attending Warrant Officer Candidate School and going to Army Aviation school at Ft. Rucker, AL. He graduated and received his wings in May of 2022. Following graduation from flight school, he was assigned to fly the AH-64D Apache at Ft. Wainwright, AK. He was awarded five Army Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

Stewart is survived by his angel wife, Kiara; his three boys, Duane Joseph, Augustus James and Orion Leo; mother, Stacie Weaver (Rod Buttars), Henderson, NV; father, Neal C. Wayment (Suzanne), West Point, UT; sisters, Jackie, Ridgewood, NY and Andrea, St. Paul, MN; big brother, Spencer, Cottonwood, AZ; stepsiblings, Troy (Deana) Kruitbosch, West Haven, UT; Tad (Heather) Kruitbosch, West Point, UT; Jeff (Alysha Kautz) Buttars; Tracy (Allan) Fray; Ben (Melissa) Buttars; Matt Buttars; Sam Buttars; Taylor Buttars. Also survived by Kiara’s parents, José Alfredo Sotelo Semino and Marizela Grandez Lozano de Sotelo; and siblings, Víctor José David Sotelo Grandez and Vanessa Sotelo Grandez, all of Lima, Peru; Grandparents, LaVora (George) Strate, Sunset, UT; Carol Wayment, Logan, UT; Samuel Duane Weaver, Kaysville, UT; and many beloved aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his grandpa Eldon Wayment and recently joined by his beloved grandma Kae Weaver.

Funeral Services and Military Honors will be held on May 20, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N. Fairfield Rd, Layton, UT. Following these services, we will proceed to Warehouse 22, 1068 W. 350 S., Syracuse, UT, for a Celebration of Life that will begin at 12:30 p.m.

The family wishes to express appreciation to the C Company Vikings for taking such good care of Stewart and his family. And we are honored to become members of the Viking family. Stewart once said to his dad shortly after arriving at Ft. Wainwright, “Pop, I think this is the happiest company in the Army!” That is a profound compliment. We are especially grateful to those heroes on the ground and in the air who worked so hard to keep Stewart safe and alive following the accident. We see you, my brothers, and love you.

We are also grateful for the many families, friends and members of the community, especially at Ft. Wainwright and Fairbanks, AK for their prayers and support to Stewart’s family. God bless every one of you!

A GoFundMe has been established for Kiara and the boys. For those interested in contributing,

please go to:   https://www.gofundme.com and search for: “Support for children of Army helicopter pilot.”

Services will be live-streamed and may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of Stewart’s obituary page at www.lindquistmortuary.com

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