Reid Westley Tranter Obituary (1931 - 2019)

Reid Westley Tranter passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. He was born in Salt Lake City on May 4, 1931 to Frank and Lorene Tranter and was the youngest of 5 children. He married his sweetheart, Bonnie Dean Naylor, on July 6, 1951. They were later sealed in the Jordan River Temple with their four children. One of Reid’s proudest accomplishments was to serve his country during the Korean War. He stayed in the Air Force Reserves for 22 years. He was a humble kind man who treated everyone with great respect. Everyone who knew him loved him. He was always positive and never complained through his health struggles in his later years. One of the greatest challenges in his life was the loss of his dear wife on January 28, 2007, after 56 years of marriage. They did everything together. He became a great example to all of us in dealing with challenges in our lives. He loved and cherished his children and spent time with each of them. He viewed his children as his great possession. Reid spent most of his life growing up in Murray, Utah. No one loved Murray more that he did. He was proud of the schools he attended. At Murray High, he participated in athletics—and football and track were his specialties. He held several track records in the 440, mile and the mile relay. One of his favorite memories was during his senior year at the BYU invitational when he and his fellow teammates broke the state record in the mile relay. He ran the last leg and was so proud of this major accomplishment. As a young boy he also spent his summers in Nephi with his grandmother Ester Bull Tranter, who he dearly loved, and other relatives. Here he could ride horses, shoot guns, protect the turkeys and work on the farm. Reid was taught to work at a young age, delivering newspapers for the Deseret News. This led to other jobs and soon he was working for the one grocery store in Murray, Cut Rate Market. Here he learned to cut meat, and this eventually led to his specialty in food service in the Air Force Reserves, and later as a career. Because he did well at his employment, he could afford to buy a car. This was the beginning of a lifelong love affair of owning cars and knowing all about them. No one knows for sure just how many cars he owned in his life. Reid is survived by his children: Richard (Marianne), Brad (Linda), Laury (Kari), Kristi (Dwight) Searle; 19 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; and his brother, Lenard Tranter. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Bonnie Naylor Tranter; Justin Tranter, grandson; brothers, James Tranter, Lawrence Tranter; and sister, Mildred Brown. The family would like to thank the staff at the Bennion Veterans Home in Payson, Utah. They are a remarkable group of caregivers that took great care of Reid for the last 8 months of his life. They treated him with love and dignity. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 6, 2019, at the Brownstone Chapel (725 E. 6410 So.) at 1:00 pm. There will be a viewing from 6-8 pm on Friday, July 5, 2019, at Jenkins -Soffe Mortuary on 4760 So. State Street, and also from 12:00-12:45 pm on Saturday at the church prior to the services. Interment will be at Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery located at 10600 So. 1950 E., Sandy, UT.