Sunny Sawyer

Harry Emory Sawyer III, better known as Sunny (or Stick at the his local waterhole the Tap Room), passed away on 2 December 2020 in Murray, Utah, surrounded by his family after a short but aggressive illness. He was born 8 January 1954 in Norfolk, VA to Harry Emory Sawyer, Jr, and Catherine Virginia Robinson. The son of a US Marine, Sunny grew up all over the country – from Virginia to California to Arizona to North Carolina. He graduated from Lejeune High School in Jacksonville, North Carolina and following his father's military example, enlisted in the United States Navy. 

He married Cindy Beynan, his high school sweetheart, in 1973. After completing his enlistment, they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they had two children, Catsy Joy and Cody David. 

Although he and Cindy divorced shortly after Cody was born, his love and dedication to his children were always present. Whether it was taking them camping in the high Uintahs or in the blazing hit of Buckhorn Wash, he was always testing their resilience from the elements of the physical world and that of the mental world where pranks and jokes were sure to come. Any sign of weakness would be quickly met with sarcastic jabs. 

He married Stephanie Egbert in February 1998. They had three children, Killian Emory, Clare Elizabeth, and Conor Jackson. Sunny and Stephanie continued the tradition of moving around the country, hauling their children back to Gloucester, VA and San Antonio, TX, finally re-settling in Utah in 2007. 

Sunny was a jack-of-all-trades, and master of some. He spent his working life in various trades, including stints as a Coors delivery driver and a BLM firefighter. But mainly welding was his vocation, which he learned from his friend and mentor Phil Montano. Even after retiring in 2019, you could find Sunny in the garage working on some new welding project. 

More than work, Sunny loved and valued his family. He always put family first. When the whole crowd would gather, he would always get real quiet (which is odd, since he was usually quite a talker), just basking in the love and pride he had for his children, their spouses, and his grandchildren. He spoke with his mother and brother, Dave, every week. 

Sunny was happiest in the outdoors. He loved fishing and hunting in the Wind Rivers of Wyoming. If he hasn't moved on to some other plane, we are all sure that is where he is. 

Sunny is survived by wife Stephanie; children Catsy (Chad) Parker, Cody (Alicia), Killian, Clare and Conor; ex-wife Cindy Perkins; mother Catherine Sawyer; siblings David Sawyer, Steven Sawyer, and Joy (Corey) Vann; and two grandchildren, Gavin and Laney Parker. 

In lieu of flowers, please donate to St Jude Children’s Hospital, or any charity that is dedicated to helping children in need. 

Friends are invited to a wake for Sunny on Friday, December 11, 2020 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City. To ensure compliance with current social distancing guidelines, we kindly ask that you call the funeral parlor between the hours of 10AM and 4PM Monday through Saturday at (801) 474-9119 to make a reservation. The courtesy of wearing a mask to services is required. The wake will be live streamed and interactive for those who prefer to attend virtually by visiting www.starksfuneral.com and clicking on his obituary where a “Watch Service Live” button will appear.