Don Allen Urquhart

On July 13, 2024 Don Allen Urquhart, aged 71, passed away at the Benefis Peace Hospice in Great Falls, Montana. Don was born July 11, 1953 in Havre, Montana to Gordon and Norma Jean Urquhart. The second of five children, he spent most of his youth in Chinook, Montana where he was the youngest to make Eagle Scout at the time when he was only13. When he was 15 he moved with his family to Kearns, Utah and graduated from Kearns High School in 1971.

Dad loved the outdoors and was happiest fishing and hunting and spending time with Ellna at their cabin outside Pinedale, Wyoming, which he called his piece of heaven. Every vacation growing  up with him was a trip to Yellowstone. He loved his fishing trips to Alaska and Mexico and making spicy deer jerky for his friends and family. He and Ellna loved to take their grandkids, nieces and nephews, cousins and aunts, friends and neighbors to the cabin in Wyoming to just relax and hang out around the bonfires he would build. Everyone was always welcome.

He loved animals, especially his “hooligans” – the terriers and miniature schnauzers running around the house and cabin. And he loved to spoil his “granddogs”.

Even though he had never seen a soccer game he volunteered to coach his daughter’s team when she was only 5. He went on to coach his son’s teams, too, and for several years volunteered with the Utah Youth Soccer Association. He also volunteered his time with the local Boy Scouts wherever he lived. 

Dad worked in industrial refrigeration his entire life, starting as a union apprentice and retiring as a service manager. He would drop whatever he was doing to help out friends and friends of friends with their air conditioners in the summer and their furnaces in the winter. If you had a problem, no matter what it was, he would do his best to help you out. Later in life he got his realtor’s license and enjoyed working as a realtor. He especially liked helping people find their first house. 

One of the most important lessons he imparted to his children was how to live dignified lives and to take care of those that you love. He put his family above all else in this world. And he had love to spare: he loved and cherished his nieces and nephews like they were his own. Most importantly, he didn’t measure his success in life in monetary riches. He measured his success by the positive impact he had in other people’s lives. He would do anything to right a wrong or make someone’s day a little better. 

He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Ellna; his children from his first marriage, Jim and Nicole (Leslie); his stepchildren Wayne Hunting and Mindy (Will) Nickell; his brothers Myron and Derek and his sister Susan (Jimmy) Jensen, as well as numerous grandkids, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Murdo, and his good friend Chuck Jaterka. 

Dad was a constant story teller and he had a story about everyone he knew and most people he just met. Most of the stories were true. Especially the most absurd-sounding ones. He didn’t want a funeral service; he wanted an old-fashioned Scottish wake. He said he wanted everyone to remember him by having a good time and sharing stories. To honor his wishes, a celebration of life will be held at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, July 27, 2024, from 6 – 8 p.m. Guests are encouraged to use the parking and entrance on the north side of the building.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Utah Youth Soccer Association, the Boy Scouts of America, or your local animal shelter.