Lynnel Ray Remund Obituary (1934 - 2021)

Lynnel Ray Remund, 87, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his family on March 30, 2021. He was born January 31, 1934 to Lynnel Albert and Marianne Fritsch Remund in Granger Utah. Ray served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the West Germany mission. Upon his return he served in the Army National Guard and was a forest fire fighter during summers in Wyoming. Ray married the love of his life, Sharon Remund, on June 30, 1960 in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last year. Ray earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management from Utah State University and, later, a master’s degree in public relations from the University of Utah. Ray enjoyed a lifelong career working for the State of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, first working as a conservation officer and later as the information and education chief. He worked extensively in the field banding ducks, tagging deer, educating hunters and issuing citations as a last resort. He firmly believed in educating rather than castigating. Ray was passionate about the outdoors and loved sharing tips and tricks with the young and old. He often took his kids with him on work assignments instilling in them a deep understanding and respect for natural resources and the cycle of life. He was a frequent flyer on KSL’s news helicopter capturing nature and wildlife management in action. His Sunday evening KSL Wildlife Report with KSL anchors Paul James, Don Judd and guest Fireman Frank was viewed weekly by hundreds of thousands of wildlife enthusiasts around the intermountain west over a six-year period. He was frequently greeted at store checkout lines by “Hey, I watched you on TV!” Ray was often seen working side-by-side with his kids, gardening, mowing lawns, raising rabbits and beekeeping -- including getting stung a couple hundred times on one occasion. He also enjoyed play time with the family, floating on inner tubes on icy-cold canals, hunting in waist deep snow, sleeping in terrifying sheep camps and telling mostly true stories to wide-eyed listeners around the campfire. He not only constantly served his family, he was always mindful of serving others with a helping hand. He was a master teacher, instructing the gospel doctrine class at church. He served as a member of a ward bishopric. He was an active scouter and, with the help of Sharon, successfully encouraged (and at times, cajoled) their seven sons to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. After retirement, Ray and Sharon served a church mission together at the Conference Center and Joseph Smith Memorial Building and enjoyed their interactions with visitors from around the world. They also served for many years as ordinance workers in the South Jordan Temple. Ray is survived by his wife and best friend, Sharon, daughter, Celeste (Stephen), seven sons, Lance (Heather), Brett (Kelly), Kirk (Kae), Craig (Ketra), Quinn (Allison), Bruce (Rachael), Todd (Kristin), brother Dale, and sister Annette. Their joy is embodied not only in their 8 children but also in their 38 grandchildren and 25-1/2 great grandchildren. A viewing will be held at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway, (10600 So.), Thursday, April 1, 6:00-8:00 PM. Funeral services will be held on Friday April 2nd at 11:00 am at 10260 South 3200 West. Funeral services may be viewed live online at: https://zoom.us/j/94702123958 Interment will be at South Jordan City Memorial Park on Friday, April 2. The family expresses their gratitude to the Jenkins-Soffe staff and the many compassionate doctors, nurses and caregivers with Intermountain Home & Hospice Care.