Grant Pete

There are some people whose hearts are simply too big to adequately describe on a page. Grant was one of those people.

Grant Morris Pete was born July 4, 2010, in Cedar City, Utah. He joined the family of Ricky Pete and Robyn Tuft when he was just four months old, becoming their son in every way that mattered. From the very beginning of his life with them, Grant was deeply loved, and over the sixteen years we were blessed to have him here, that circle of people who loved him only grew.

If you knew Grant, chances are you knew him as the “Gentle Giant,” the “kid with the big heart,” or simply #65. All of those names fit him perfectly.

Grant had a quiet kind of kindness about him. He didn’t need recognition for it. It was simply part of who he was. He cared about people. He would sit and listen when someone needed somebody to talk to, and he would do just about anything for someone he loved. He had a way of making people laugh, even when he wasn’t feeling his best self. He joked with everyone, made friends everywhere he went, and gave the kind of hugs you didn’t want to be the first one to let go of. Those hugs are something his family would give anything to have one more time.

Grant loved football. He played for Alta Little League and Jordan High School, and football gave him more than a game to play. It gave him teammates, friendships, brotherhood and a community that became part of his family. To those who knew him from the field, Grant will always be #65.

Football was a big part of Grant’s life, but it was only one of the many things he enjoyed. He loved sports in general and also played rugby and soccer. He loved anime and Legos, playing on his PlayStation, fishing and music, especially rap. He even played the cello. Music became an outlet for him, and he loved putting his headphones on and getting lost in it. He enjoyed going for walks, exploring, observing things and having time to himself. He was curious about the world around him in his own quiet way.

Grant was a smart kid, even though school itself didn’t always come easily to him. When he found something that interested him, something clicked. He discovered an interest in entrepreneurship and marketing, and he was incredibly good at fixing things. He dreamed of someday becoming a mechanic or a welder. He wanted to work with his hands, figure things out and build a life for himself.

There were still so many things Grant was figuring out and so many things he hadn’t gotten the chance to become yet.

Grant was incredibly proud of his culture and of being a member of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Cedar Band. His heritage was part of who he was and something he carried with pride.

Grant loved his family fiercely, and his definition of family stretched far beyond blood. His friends were family. His teammates and football brothers were family, and their families became his family too. If Grant loved you, you belonged to him.

Grant also struggled with his mental health. Those struggles were real, and at times they became heavier than many of us understood. But we never want those struggles to be what defines him. Grant was not his hardest day.

There was so much more to him than the battles he carried. His struggles were something he experienced, but they were never the sum of who he was. The Grant we knew was funny and gentle, curious and caring. He was a sixteen-year-old boy still discovering himself, still making plans and still dreaming about what his life might look like.

Our hearts are shattered knowing that Grant was carrying pain that became too heavy for him. There are questions we may never have answers to and moments we will replay, wishing somehow we could change them. But there is one thing there will never be a question about. Grant was loved. Completely, fiercely and by so many people.

While we would give anything for more time with him, we find comfort in believing that Grant is no longer fighting the battles that exhausted him here. We hope he has found the peace that sometimes felt so difficult for him to find in this life.

Grant was preceded in death by his birth mother, Natosha Wall, and his grandpa Robert Marx.

He is survived by his mom, Robyn; his dad, Ricky; his siblings Izabela, Rocky, Q, Louden and Ryder; his grandmothers Andrea and Michele; Grandpa Gun; Nana and Papa; and many aunts, uncles and cousins who loved him beyond words. He also leaves behind his football brothers, coaches, teammates, friends and football families who became another family to him along the way.

Sixteen years was nowhere near enough. There should have been more football games. More fishing trips. More music. More stupid jokes. More things for him to fix. More walks. More milestones. More chances for Grant to discover exactly who he was going to become.

We will grieve all of those things, but more than anything, we will be grateful that we got to know him. That we got to love him. And that we got to be loved by him.

For the rest of our lives, we will carry pieces of Grant with us. He will be in the stories we tell, in the laughter he gave us, in the people he loved, on the football field, and every time someone remembers the big kid with the even bigger heart.

We love you, Grant. We hope you finally know just how many people did.

Funeral Services:

Grant’s family invites all who knew and loved him to join us as we gather to honor his life, share memories and say goodbye.

A viewing will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley Mortuary, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, UT.

A second viewing will be held Sunday, September 27, 2026 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., with funeral services beginning at 12:00 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley Mortuary in South Jordan.

Grant’s family will then return with him to Cedar City, where his Paiute culture and community will be an important part of honoring his life. A Half-Night Sing will be held Monday, September 28, 2026 from 7:00 p.m. to midnight at the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Gym in Cedar City.

On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, a viewing will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by services at 1:00 p.m. at the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Gym in Cedar City.

We are deeply grateful to every person who has loved Grant, stood beside our family, shared a memory, offered a prayer or simply reminded us how many lives our Gentle Giant touched.

Forever our Gentle Giant. Forever #65.