 Darwin Kay Sumsion, of St George, UT, passed into his eternity on Saturday, April 16, 2022 in Layton at the home of his daughter Sheila only four days short of his 92nd birthday. This longtime member of the Bloomington 7th Ward was born on April 20, 1930 in Preston, ID – the 3rd son of Mary Caroline Hansen and John Bert Sumsion.
Kay married Deon Rodgers Sumsion on October 26. 1953. When Kay and Deon first met, she had more than a few beaus, none approved by Kay. After their marriage, he traveled a lot for work, so their family is blessed to have “quite a few letters” exchanged between the newlyweds. The Sumsion’s were later sealed for eternity in the Oquirrh Mountain LDS Temple. She preceded him in death on August 20, 2008 after almost 55 years of marriage.
Kay graduated in the Class of 1948 from Malad High School, then joined the U. S. Air Force, training In Mountain Home, ID to become a Base Electric Power Lineman during the Korean War. He was stationed in San Antonio, TX and later in Atlanta, GA and shared many amazing and spiritual experiences from his time in the military. In particular, at one point, he was asked to apply for a special clearance which involved a lengthy wait (“military time”) to enable him to work – in some way – on the atomic bomb!
The Sumsions lived in various Utah communities and in each of the four corner states as his employment necessitated, finally settling in St. George where he retired in 1986 after nearly 30 years with Utah Power and Light. As a Transmission Line Supervisor, he was responsible for many transmission lines built between Salt Lake City and Kemmerer, WY; Telluride and Durango to Silverton, CO and through the Aneth oil fields, around Montezuma Creek near Blanding, UT. Much of his work – still in operation today – was done through difficult mountain terrain and in harsh and extreme weather conditions.
He was a very hard worker, loved his career choice, had an amazing talent for “fixing things” and lived a long, simple and happy life.
He loved his time in St. George especially enjoying his relationship with ward members and neighbors who influenced him for the good and with whom he swapped stories.
Kay was an avid golfer, proudly scoring 7 holes-in-one in his lifetime and was regularly on one of his favorite St. George courses until the last few months of his life when he had to put his clubs away. He also enjoyed trailer traveling with his wife, fishing, motorbike riding, and his association with his many man friends and former co-workers.
He was a High Priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a home teacher and later as a faithful temple patron. He loved his family, friends and neighbors, and they loved him.
Darwin is survived by his four children: Dennis (Debbie) Sumsion, South Jordan. UT; Larry (Chervl) Sumsion, Herriman, UT; Susan (Vance) Witbeck, Rexburg, ID; Sheila (David) Baugh, Layton, UT; 11 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren; and brothers Mark and Neil Sumsion
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Junior and Zelbert (“Johnny”), sister Fawn, and his wife Deon. His body was interred on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at the Evergreen Cemetery, 1997 S. 400 East in Springville, UT. |