Clyde P. Okerlund

Salina, Utah - At age 93, Clyde Pershing Okerlund, our beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 of causes incident to age. He was born in Salina, Utah on September 8, 1918 a son of Charles Hicks and Mary Jane Crane Okerlund, giving him a great pioneer heritage. He is a great-grandson of Elias Hicks Blackburn, who was a settler of Wayne County and a Patriarch. Clyde attended schools in Salina and graduated from North Sevier High School. He attended Snow College on an athletic scholarship. In August of 1944, he was drafted into the army and served our country with the 127th Infantry Regiment in the Pacific Theater. In April 1945, he was wounded in action and received the Purple Heart Medal and was honorably discharged in June of 1946. Upon returning home, he built his home in Salina where he raised his family, teaching them the importance of hard work, patience, self sufficiency and honesty. In 1981, he retired after 21 years as a custodian at Salina Elementary School. He married his sweetheart Helen Ivy Larsen on August 28, 1940; their marriage was later solemnized in the Manti LDS Temple on October 11, 1940. She preceded him in death on July 4, 1991, a day he never forgot. They were an example of a righteous, loving and noble couple. He enjoyed anything that involved his family, camping, hunting or fishing. Family was his favorite topic and his life’s work. He was a friend to everyone and to him; a stranger was just a friend he had not met. He had a great talent to be able to fix, build or repair anything. Clyde was a faithful member of the LDS Church. He was a loving father and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren were his pride and joy. He was the last surviving male member of a group of friends called the “Birthday Club” that consisted of at least 20 couples that met monthly, creating life-long friendships that have lasted for at 70 years for the surviving members. Clyde is survived by his children; Paul and Marsha Okerlund, Don and Jolayne Okerlund, all of Salina; Janet and Jim Towers of Murray; 11 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Clyde was preceded in death by his parents; a great-granddaughter, Taylor Okerlund; siblings and their spouses: Berniece and Max Sorensen; Eugene and Jessie Okerlund; Lyndon and Doris Okerlund. Funeral services will be held Monday, December 12, 2011, 11 A.M. in the Salina LDS Stake Center, 98 West 400 North in Salina. Friends may call Sunday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Springer Turner Funeral Home, 150 East Main Street in Salina and Monday at the Stake Center from 9:30 to 10:30 prior to the services. Burial with military honors accorded by the Salina American Legion Post #36 will be in the Salina Eastside Cemetery under the care of the Springer Turner Funeral Home of Richfield and Salina, Utah.