Barton Melvin Golding
Barton Melvin Golding was born in Provo, Utah, on February 20, 1961, to Marvin C. Golding and Carma Muir Golding. He spent his early years in Provo and South Jordan, Utah. When Barton was 15, his family moved to Nauvoo, IL where his father worked on the Restoration of Nauvoo and Barton had the opportunity to work with him for over a year before going on his mission. This move defined his life. He loved and studied the history of Nauvoo and the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Barton graduated from Nauvoo-Colusa High School in 1979. He was called to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to New Zealand from 1980 to 1982. He valued and maintained friendships from these years for the rest of his life.
He and his family then moved back to Utah in 1982 and he graduated from BYU with a teaching certificate in Social Studies. He taught Jr. High school for a time before starting his own website and online bookstore, called Latter Day Light. At the time of his death, his Latter Day Light Daily Devotional email was enjoyed by almost 13,000 readers from around the world. He was very grateful to be able to share his testimony and many uplifting messages to so many readers each day through this email.
His dream of living in Nauvoo again, came to fruition in 2013 when he moved back to Nauvoo to manage a bookstore there. He cherished serving as a temple worker in the Nauvoo Temple each day. He served as President of the Nauvoo Chamber of Commerce and served on the board of the Nauvoo Historical Society. Community members and visitors would come to visit with him to learn about Nauvoo or just to have a friend to talk to.
Barton served as the Gospel Doctrine teacher several times, a faithful home teacher and Sunday School teacher. He was devoted and diligent in his service, and he blessed many lives with his knowledge of the gospel and the history of the Church. Due to health issues, he moved back to Orem, Utah in 2018 to be closer to family.
Barton passed away peacefully on the morning of November 5, 2021. He has suffered much for the last several years, but has kept his testimony strong and his love for the gospel, the prophet Joseph, and most importantly his Savior. He was an example of “enduring to the end” in his faith and dedication to the gospel. He was a loving brother, kind and caring uncle, and true friend to all who truly knew him. He will be greatly missed, but we are happy that he is now able to walk again and has been reunited with his dad and many other loved family members and friends who preceded him.
Barton is survived by his mother, Carma; his sisters, Amy (Vern) Hart, and Robyn Izquierdo, and his brother, Enoch (Kelly) Golding; 14 nieces and nephews who loved him very much, and 20 grand nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Marvin C. Golding.
The funeral will be held Saturday, November 13th at 11:00 am, at Nelson Family Mortuary, 4780 North University Avenue, Provo, Utah, where a viewing will be held prior to services from 10:00 am – 10:45 am. Interment will be in the Orem City Cemetery on Monday November 15th at 2:00 pm. To watch a webcast of the funeral services or to express condolences please go to Barton’s obituary page at www.NelsonMortuary.com