Myron Rollins

Myron “Mike” Bybee Rollins
Myron “Mike” Bybee Rollins passed away October 1, 2026 in South Jordan, Utah, with his son David by his side. He was born June 3, 1930, in Ogden, Utah, the youngest of twelve children. Mike grew up on the family ranch in Mountain Green, where family, faith, frugality, hunting, horses, and dirt shaped his life.
There was not much extra in a family that large during the Depression. He learned to make do with what he had and to be grateful for it. He had great respect for his mother, who carried on after his father's death, and he was proud of his grandfather, who put the family ranch together without borrowing money.
Mike spoke often of his father, and there was always sadness in his voice. The losses his family endured -- his oldest sibling on the day of her birth, the twins who passed away within a month of their birth, and his father at 15 -- stayed with him. There was a somberness about Mike that never quite left him. It was part of who he was.
Mike loved to hunt. He started young and never lost his taste for it. He remembered hunting trips with incredible detail and could tell you where a buck had been shot decades earlier. He told his favorite hunting stories time and time again and laughed harder each time he told them. He hunted with family throughout his life and was happiest in the outdoors. At eighty-two, he went buffalo hunting on horseback, riding ten miles into the country and spending much of the hunt in the saddle. He had no particular need to make a fuss about any of this. He was doing what he loved.
Mike loved to tell stories. He told hunting stories from his youth, remembered old adventures, and brought up family mishaps that others might have preferred to forget. One of his favorites was the story of his brother Theron's "firehorse." The boys were clearing a field of weeds with a horse and decided burning the weeds would be easier. It probably was, until the horse's tail caught fire. The horse took off, with the rake bouncing along behind it. Mike never made it through the story without laughing. He enjoyed that one as much as his audience ever did.
Mike served in the United States Army from August 1952 to August 1954 and was stationed in Germany during the Korean War. After his military service, he bought a .270 rifle and hunted primarily with that caliber for the rest of his life. He attended Weber State University, Utah State University, and Brigham Young University, where he earned a master's degree.
Mike met Erma Squire, a former Miss Sanpete County, at a matinee dance at Brigham Young University, where she caught his eye. They were married and sealed in the Manti Temple on July 8, 1955. They spent their honeymoon in Yellowstone National Park and returned many times over the years to celebrate their anniversaries. Yellowstone remained a special place to them.
Mike made a career as a soil scientist with the Bureau of Land Management. It was fitting work for a man who had grown up on a ranch and understood the value of good soil. He loved the outdoors and took pride in the land he cared for. He also loved his land on the Yellowstone River.
Mike was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as a bishop, in a stake presidency, a member of the Billings Montana temple presidency and as a patriarch for many years. He and Erma also served a mission in Greece. He loved the Lord and took his responsibilities seriously. He believed in doing things right and expected others to do the same.
Mike was direct and honest. If he knew the answer, he would give it to you. If he didn't, he would tell you he didn't know. He had little use for guessing or pretending. He was not a man given to flowery speech or flattery.
He might choke on the words “I love you,” but he would drive halfway across the country to watch a grandson compete in a rodeo. He loved attending his children's and grandchildren's sporting events, whether football, basketball, baseball, or rodeo. He taught his grandchildren to throw a ball and swing a bat. He grieved over their mistakes and rejoiced in their triumphs. His family never had to wonder whether he would show up.
Mike was thrifty, to say the least. His children found cans filled with used fencing clips and staples. He would be pleased to know one of his grandchildren used some of those clips and staples on a fence last week. He loved his horses, though he expected them to work and behave. They generally did.
Mike had his own way of speaking. “Hey hey hey!” “Good grief.” “Scruds sakes.” “Would you believe?” He might tell you he thought a lot of you or that the family had a lot of love for you. Those were his ways of saying what mattered without making a production of it. He also liked to say, “I love my horses, I love my garden, and I love my family.”
He is preceded in death by his wife, Erma, and is survived by his four children, Kent, Scott (LaDonna), Cyndi (Brad) and David (Mary Anne), seventeen grandchildren and many great grandchildren.
Mike leaves behind fine young men and fine young women, who will remember his stories, his standards, his faith, and his presence. They will remember the hunts, the horses, the garden, Yellowstone, and the many family gatherings and get togethers spent together. They will remember that he meant what he said and said what he meant.
Mike loved his family, his Savior, his horses, and the land. He didn't have use saying more than was necessary. That was Mike Rollins.