Nephi Atwood

Nephi “Duane” Atwood

1938-2021

Our beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Son, Brother and Friend, Duane passed away peacefully on October 23, 2021, surrounded by many of his loved ones.

Duane was born in a two-room log cabin, on April 12, 1938, in Vernal, Utah to Nephi T. Atwood and Hazel A. Richens. He was born on his brother, Shirl‘s third birthday.

He grew up in Vernal and later moved to Washington Terrace where he attended South Jr. High and Weber High School. After graduating from High School, he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the North Central States, at the time, his mission included North and South Dakota and Minnesota, also Manitoba and Ontario Canada.

Duane married Judy Marie Vaughn on February 1, 1962, in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of four sons and four daughters.

He received his BS degree from Weber State and a MS and PhD from Brigham Young University where he majored in Botany and Plant Taxonomy. He was one of four co-authors of “A Utah Flora”.

While completing his education he worked at various full or part time jobs including, US Forest Service (Mueller Park), Bureau of Land Management, Harrisville Brickyard, oil fields in Uintah Basin and trapping. He also worked on environmental impact studies at Glen Canyon City for the Navajo and proposed Kaparowitz generating stations.

Duane began his career working for the Bureau of Land Management in Cedar City, Utah then took a job in Portland, Oregon with US Fish and Wildlife Service working in the rare and endangered plant program. He then transferred to Provo, Utah and worked for the US Forest Service, he later moved to Ogden, Utah, working for the Regional Forest Service Office. He retired from the Forest Service after 20 years and took a position at Brigham Young University as Assistant Curator of the Stanley L. Welsh Herbarium at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum.

Duane was a hard worker; he had many interests and gave much time and energy to his pursuits. He loved hiking, back packing and plant collecting. He was an avid hunter and enjoyed hunting in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona. He also hunted in Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Alaska. He enjoyed fishing in the high Uintah’s, New Zealand, Alaska, Florida and the Pacific Northwest. Duane loved going pine nut gathering. He enjoyed carving wood handles for flint knives and turning candlesticks on the lathe. In recent years he made walking sticks from bamboo. He was full of energy and unstoppable when he had a goal. He, along with family and friends, built a den for his trophies, cutting the timber, sawing it on a band saw, searching for unique logs for the staircase and railings.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Judy ; his eight children, Shane (Shauna Eskelson) Atwood, Sandy, UT ; Debbie (Roger Blomquist) Lehi, UT; Janet Honaker, Huntington Beach CA; Shellie (Marty) Pope, Hayden, CO; Steve (Arah) Atwood, Lehi, UT; Alan (Tammi) Atwood, Clearfield, UT; Amber (Brett) Bengtson, Sioux Falls, SD; Jonny (Nikki) Atwood, Clinton, UT; 28 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren; and one brother, Kenneth Atwood. He is also survived by many cousins, nephews and nieces and his uncle, Merlin Richens and aunt, Carol Ebeling. He was preceded in death by his parents Nephi and Hazel and two brothers, Shirl and Bud Atwood, and many aunts and uncles.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at the Shanondoah Ward Chapel, 5375 South 5900 West, Hooper. The family will meet with friends Friday, November 19th from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Roy Mortuary, 3333 West 5600 South and Saturday, November 20th from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the church. Interment, Hooper Cemetery, 5301 South 6300 West.

Funeral services will be live-streamed by scrolling to the bottom of Duane’s obituary page at www.lindquistmortuary.com

The family would like to thank CNS Hospice for their dedication and loving care of Duane these past months. We appreciate the many friends, neighbors and ward members that gave so much love and service to our family.