Dean Quincy Leavitt

(The following was written by Dean sometime in the late 1970’s)

I was born at home at 48 North 9th West (now 10th West), Salt Lake City, Utah on January 13, 1915 to John William and Jane Ollerton Leavitt.  I was the youngest of nine children:  Myrtle, Gerald, Clyde, Claire, Mildred, John, Lyman, Dorothy and Dean.

When I was about four, I remember going on the streetcar to the Union Pacific Depot with mother to meet Gerald when he returned from service in World War I. When I as five, I was “water boy” for my father when he built the back porch on the house.  The boys in our family slept in the back porch, which had no heat in the winter, we would heat flat irons to warm the beds. 

As I grew Older, I parked cars in vacant lots during the Utah State Fair.  I also remember weeding my Dad’s large garden.  During the summers, I worked on Uncle Mark’s ranch at Blue Creek where some good times were had.

I attended schools in Salt Lake City and was graduated from West high School in 1932 after which I took a post-graduate course.  While in Jackson Junior High School, I played the saxaphone in the orchestra.  Two boys and I had a trio that played at dances and on the stage at the Paramount Theater. 

Our team won the All-Church Championship when I played M-Men baseball for the 24ths ward.

I always loved fishing and one summer sold vegetables door to door to earn money for a fishing trip.  My friends and I drove a Model T Ford to the Provo River but had to push it over the 21st South Hill.  All the neighborhood kids like to swim in the Jordan River during the summer. 

I worked for the Rio Grande Railroad as a car man’s apprentice for four years.  On December19, 1939, I went to work for the Union Pacific Railroad as a brakeman and was later promoted to conductor.  I retired on September 21, 1976 after 37 years of service.

I enjoy fishing, hunting, golfing, boating and traveling.  I also like to work in my shop.

On May 10, 1941, I married Lucille Mace in Salt Lake City, Utah.  We have a daughter, Barbara Jane, born June 4, 1945.  She married Dan Newbould.

We are living in a home in Bountiful, Utah and have a mobile home in Manila, Utah were we go fishing and boating on Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

One of our great pleasures is going to visit Barbara, Dan and our two grandchildren, Lisa and Jeffrey who live in Lenexa, Kansas.  We love having them come to visit us where we spend some time at Flaming Gorge.  We wish they lived closer so we could see them more often.   Dean Leavitt
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Dean loved to work on projects.  He was always very precise in his measurements.  This trait was evident at a very early age.  When he was in kindergarten or first grade, the children in the class were making stools out of three pieces of wood.   The teacher would help each child cut their pieces of wood—one following another.  When it was Dean’s turn to cut his wooden pieces, he refused because the child before him had not cut the end square.  He did not want to use a piece of wood with a crooked end for his stool.  The teacher told him he had to use this piece and she would not change it.  Dean still refused.  This standoff continued until the teacher took him to the Principal’s office.  Upon hearing the situation, the Principal sided with Dean saying that he would not want to use a crooked piece of wood either.  The teacher then re-cut the end of the wood to square.

Some of the projects he did was a garage at the home on 8th west, the garage up in Manila and several other projects big and small.  He helped Dan and Barbara building sheds when they were living away from Utah and when they returned to Utah, Dean and Dan worked on projects together.

One of the things that Dean loved most was being with his brothers. In the 1940’s and early 1950’s Dean and Lyman enjoyed boat racing.  There were many fishing trips and family vacations taken together.  In 1970, Dean and his brother Lyman bought property next to each other in Manila near Flaming Gorge reservoir where they put mobile homes and built garages.  Flaming Gorge  became a favorite place for not only them, but their children and grandchildren and eventually great grandchildren.

They often played golf together.  Up until Gerald died, May and Gerald, Lynnette and Lyman and Dean and Lucille often played golf together.  

Dean and Lyman played golf, fished, went boating and just enjoyed each other’s company.

Dean passed away on February 4, 2003 at the age pf 88.  19 days later Lucille passed away on February 23.   She was 83.   They are buried in the Bountiful City Cemetery.

Thanks to Barbara Newbould daughter of Dean Leavitt for providing this information.