Narvol Hanson Obituary (1933 - 2022)

The world lost a great man on October 20, 2022. Narvol Leo Hanson was born November 13, 1933 to Melba Nora Gagon and Justus Leo Hanson on his grandmother Hanson’s kitchen table. Narvol spent most of his childhood in the small rural town of Roosevelt, Utah where many of his close family and friends called him “Nark”. He loved skating in the winter and playing tennis in the summer. His favorite sport as a child was swimming and he frequented a placed called Sandgates as well as the Myton River. He enjoyed picnicking with his family in the Uinta Canyon, playing soldier in nearby trenches shooting rubberband- wooden guns, riding his horse “Bubbles”, going to the matinee at the Roosevelt theater to watch old westerns or monster movies,0 and go deer hunting with his parents. He also enjoyed going to the Huish Drugstore next to the theater for what he claimed were the best chocolate malts in the world. Even in his final weeks, his favorite pastime was sipping chocolate shakes. His love for great music and musicals, he claims, was firmly established during the time that he took piano lessons as a youth for six years. Narvol attended Roosevelt Elementary school and Roosevelt High school which was renamed Union High School his senior year. During high school he participated in varsity football as co-captain and quarterback and also in basketball. His classmates elected him to be Senior Class President while he was away on a football trip. He was an officer in his Seminary class and graduated after 4 years of Seminary. Narvol went to college at BYU in Provo for two years after high school and then served a 2-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in Sydney, Nebraska, Grand Junction, Colorado, Santa Fe as well as Albuquerque, New Mexico. After returning home he was drafted into the US Army. He took basic training at Ft Lewis, Washington and then was assigned to the US Army Aviation Center at Ft. Rucker, Alabama where he spent approximately 19 months. Upon returning home in 1958, he decided to attend the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where he lived until he graduated in 1960 with a BSEE degree. He also took courses at George Washington University Law School, and other post graduate courses at Cal State Fullerton (towards MBA degree). Narvol married and was sealed in the Salt Lake Temple to Patricia Ann Darrow on a beautiful snowy day on December 19, 1960 and even in his final days considered that to be the best day of his life. They met at a western dance sponsored by the LDS Institute of Religion (U of U). In his own words he wrote, “We got along just great and had a wonderful time dancing. We were both having such a great time that we both sort of forgot about the guy that had brought her to the dance. Anyway, as things worked that was the beginning of a whirlwind, exciting courtship that culminated in our wedding.” After their marriage they lived for a short time in the Sugarhouse area of Salt Lake and then on to Whittier, California. After that they moved to Upland, California for about 4 years where their daughters Jennifer Lynn and Judith Ann were born. Narvol was then transferred to Alexandria, Virginia where he lived for a couple of years and their first son, Robert Narvol was born. He worked for the Navy Polaris Submarine program in Washington, D.C. and attended George Washington University Law School in the evenings. Upon completion of his assignment in Washington they returned to Whittier in 1966. Their two final children, Mark Edward and Kathryn Denise were both born in Whittier. In 1972 he moved to the Mt. Olympus area of Salt Lake where they lived for about 3 1⁄2 years and then on to Sandy and finally South Jordan, Utah. His working career began as a young boy delivering newspapers and then he went on to a bicycle repair business with his friend Gary Hustead. He helped with the family businesses: Creamery, Hotel, Meat Packing Plant, feeding livestock, taking care of ranch and cabin property in Bluebell, Utah and as a farm worker for Winterton Bros. Cattle Co in Roosevelt, Utah. At 12 years old he was a surveyor for Rural Electrification Association at Island Park, Idaho and then surveyor for United Geophysical Company (oil exploration company) throughout Uintah Basin. He was a Draftsman/Map maker for Ute Indian Tribe in Fort Duchesne, Utah and Specification writer for Mountain Bell Telephone Co in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a designer for Honeywell International in Salt Lake City, Utah and a writer/editor of military technical manuals for Data Design Laboratories Ontario, Cal and Washington, DC. He was a Real Estate Broker and Exchanger (Virginia, California and Utah) and owner/ operator of Hanson Motel, The Attic Antique shop, Country Kitchen restaurant in Roosevelt and co-founder and Manager of Overland Thrift and Loan in Roosevelt, Utah. Narvol was a co-owner of EL Bay and Associates - a general contracting construction and real estate development company. His primary business involved building LDS churches all around the US and Canada. He also built a school, office building, grocery store, tannery and several single family residences. In 1980 they returned to Whittier to accept a position with one of his former employers, GeneralDynamics Pomona Division as Senior Engineer and Scientist. In 1994 he was transferred to Tucson, Arizona [(with Raytheon Missiles Systems Co – a merger between Raytheon and Hughes Missile Systems Co (acquired General Dynamics Pomona Division)] for the last 5 years of his 25 years in the missile business. His children loved referring to him as a ‘rocket scientist’. Narvol retired in January 2000. Narvol’s church callings have included serving as a full time missionary in Western States Mission headquartered in Denver, Colorado; stake missionary, Stake Sunday School Board, Senior President of the Seventy, Elders Quorum President, Mutual President, Sunday School President, Young Married Leader with his wife, instructor in all the priesthood quorums and auxiliaries, teacher of High Priests, Ward Clerk, Ward Finance Clerk, Ward Membership Clerk, Ward Executive Secretary and was an assistant to his wife for several years in Stake and Ward sponsored activities such as dinners, dances and other large activities. Narvol was a Home Teacher since he was 12 years old and continued through the years until he could no longer physically serve. His greatest joy came from serving as a missionary and also teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in various classes over the years. He also served in the Draper Temple. He enjoyed reading and studying on a wide variety of subjects. He enjoyed doing research into such areas as futures and stock trading systems, alternative energy sources/zero energy devices, real estate cycles and investment, design of indestructible and universal homes. He loved to study the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Church history and doctrine and Book of Mormon archeology. Narvol was known and loved by all for his wit and sense of humor. He has been reunited with his parents and family in heaven, away from pain and suffering, and for that we are grateful. But for those of us remaining, this world will never be the same. Narvol is survived by his wife, Patricia; his daughters Jennifer Lynn (Montierth), Judith Ann (Alba) and her husband, Joel; and Kathryn Denise; his sons Robert Narvol his wife, Terri and Mark Edward; his 16 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren; his brothers Norman J. and his wife, Jane; Earl Wrocklof (Rocky) and his wife, Karen; and his sisters Bonnie Rae Robertson and her husband Bob; Connie Ruth Joslin; and Yetta Marie Mortenson. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, October 25 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home South Valley, located at 1007 West South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan. Interment will be at the South Jordan City Cemetery.