Our beloved father, husband, brother, grandfather, cousin, uncle and neighbor Golden K. LeFevre (80) passed away on August 22, 2023, at his home in Washington, Utah.

Golden was born February 15, 1943, in Spry, Utah to Sylvia Ann Haycock and Stanley LeFevre. He was the 11th of 12 children, and he grew up in Orem, playing and working in the orchards and on farms, building lifelong lasting friendships as he went. After years of illegal street racing, car mechanicing, and general mayhem and pranks such as cutting off the top of the mayor’s tree at Christmas, Golden graduated from Orem High School in 1961. With a little pressure from the law, he wisely enlisted in the US Navy from 1961-1965 (Reserves 1965-1967) and worked as a Navy aircraft mechanic in the Philippines, Japan, California, and Hawaii. Thus began his lifelong fascination with flying, and he became a pilot during his free time through the Hickam Aero Club. Upping his game with the ladies but not his paycheck, he next went to work in Yellowstone where luckily, he met Marcia Sue Moore, a beautiful, fun, sweet horsewoman whom he convinced to marry him on January 29, 1966, in Eugene, Oregon. Her Barbara Streisand looks matched his Elvis Presley vibe, and their relationship was sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple on December 6, 1969.

Golden loved Yellowstone: the animals (both wild and domestic), the scenery and seasons, and his work, starting with the Yellowstone Park Company. He started in the ice plant and worked his way through vending and into lodging, where he became the Director of Lodging and built the first laundry for the park. He loved snowmobiling in the winters to check on the Old Faithful Lodge and staff and getting out and about in the summers to all the locations. He enjoyed working with the staff even more than he loved the job.

Golden loved living in a small town with a great view of Electric Peak. He took us all jeeping in the summers, chopping wood and Christmas trees in the fall and winter, and even tried his hand, successfully, at deer hunting. He was greatly surprised when his children wouldn’t eat the deer, and shortly thereafter, we believe, in cahoots with our mother, “Mystery Meat Night” was introduced at the LeFevre dinner table.

Golden always had animals around him. At one point, we had 2 cats, 7 horses and 23 dogs, albeit cats were dad’s nemesis and there was always a game of chess going on with him and the felines. He and Mom belonged to the Gallatin Saddle Club and participated in horse shows with our prize-winning paint horses.

And he loved the unique mornings where he would wake up to a bear in our trees by the creek, or elk, bison, or deer in the yard. He reminded us over the years of when a lone bison took up residence blocking our driveway in a storm for three days. He talked to it, tried to convince it to move on, started up the truck near it, made loud noises, but all to no avail. Finally, he got his bb gun and shot it “square in the ****” and it begrudgingly agreed to move to the lower part of the yard for the remainder of the storm.

Golden always had a mischievous twinkle in his eye, a smile, and a passion for helping people and staying busy. He built custom-designed bicycles for kids and repaired and rebuilt everyoneás vacuum cleaners. He hosted a haunted house in our breezeway and held movie nights, projecting all the cool 70s movies on the big wall in our living room with carmel popcorn and warm Dr Pepper. He was active in leading the boy scouts, and helped make many a Pinewood Derby racecar and all manner of Coca Cola-cleaned penny art.

Golden was an active member of the LDS Church and served as a Branch President, helping establish the first chapel in Gardiner, and loved serving more recently in the St. George LDS Temple.

Above all, Golden always strived to live his life by his mother’s words. She always told him the greatest thing in the world, bar none, is love, and that she loved him “a whole big ocean full of bushel baskets full.” We suspect she wasn’t the only one.

Golden is survived by his wife Marcy; his children Gregory (Jessie), Sandi (Rob) Kier, Ann (Jeff) Hall; his adopted daughter Brianna LeFevre; his grandchildren Keegan LeFevre and Kylie Larson; his siblings Melody (Lynn) Culmer and Jeannie (Ralph) Jex; and his brother-in-law Randy Moore. He was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings Stanley (Mary), Luke (Merlene), Gloria (Bob) Whaley, Harold (Lorene), Myra (Don) Anderson, Julia, Sylvia (Verl) Harrison, Sterling (Shirley), and Thomas (Jenny).

A graveside service will be held Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at 2 pm at the Panguitch City Cemetery. Military honors will be provided by United States Navy Honor Guard.

A special thank you to the Coral Canyon Community and local LDS Ward for all of your wonderful friendship and support of our father and mother the last several years.

Condolences and treasured memories may be expressed to the family at www.SerenityStG.com. Instead of flowers, Golden would hope that you would perform an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness in his name, with a mischievous twinkle in your eye, of course.