Arlin Staples Ovard

On January 31, 2025, Arlin Staples Ovard, 64, was set free from a six-year battle with the insurmountable foe of frontal temporal degeneration (FTD). He passed at his home after a full day of visits from his family and dearest friends. Although his time was shortened, he managed to make up for it with his energetic personality and sense of humor.

 Arlin was born on July 5, 1960, to Everett and Lanae Ovard. He wasted no time to see what life was about – he fell right into fishing, catching frogs, night crawlers, and snakes that sometimes made it to his mom’s ironing board (his mom and sisters will attest he was a tease from day one). He used his hunting skills to collect and sell enough worms so he could buy a scout uniform, a bicycle, and his first horse. His Grandmother Ovard helped him sell them by the dozen for 15 cents. Even in his final days he spoke of that horse, “Topper”. He knew how to work. At a young age, he took a job working a dairy for Bill Roberts, a man he greatly looked up to. The work was tough, requiring long hours cleaning stalls and farming the dry farms that overlooked his valley home. He proudly described his wage of $1.50 an hour – he loved that job because he loved the work.

 His love for farming and ranching never relented. He spent a lot of time at his Grandpa Staples’ dairy farm up Chalk Creek. He talked about helping milk the cows, tending to the orchard, or reading his Grandpa’s farm poetry - which is a skill Arlin personally acquired and used throughout his life for thoughtful letters to his loved ones. Later in life, Arlin and his family spent many nights in one of his Grandpa’s fields called “Lord’s” – he would describe his past duties of “rowing” the bales, of not only that field, but all fields that needed to be hauled for the dairy farm.

 Arlin and His father, Everett, teamed up to pursue the long-standing dream of having their own cattle herd. The meaning of this operation was profound to Arlin. He made up for loose ends or run-down equipment by simply outworking the struggles. It was not uncommon to see him rolling under a tractor or baler late into the night, or to witness his unwavering effort to coax a chilled newborn calf back to life. Before his mobility was completely restricted, the family received pictures in the group chat of him petting one of his favorite cows, “12”.

 He loved sports and basically anything that involved a scoreboard, a ball or even the illusion of a winner. He was an innate leader so naturally he found himself playing quarterback and outside linebacker for the North Summit football team. He understood the intricacies of the game and would often know what play should be called, or just call his own. He was an accomplished wrestler. He had not wrestled before high school, but he fell right in with some life-long friends and greatly excelled. After graduating from NSHS in 1978, he decided to further pursue wrestling and walked-on at Ricks College. He worked through the ranks and earned a varsity spot for the 134 lb slot. His wrestling ability made him a formidable challenge and target for his sons, buddies, cousins, and in-laws but no matter how many times they tried, or however surprising the first move was, he would not be defeated…at any cost to him or the opponent. After Ricks, he returned to marry his eternal companion, Carolyn Fife. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on April 24, 1980. They settled in Henefer where they started a family, while he worked for the “Dairy Tank Company” stationed out of the Grump’s gas station. Him, Randy, Jeff, and Brent Ovard traveled all over the states, installing milk tanks and building relationships with the dairy owners. There weren’t many family road trips that didn’t consist of him identifying dairies and telling of how well he knew the owners. After 16 years at Dairy Tank, he transitioned to the Holcim Devil’s Slide Cement Plant. He missed life on the road, but the relationships he built at “the plant” remained incredibly important to him. 

Arlin was living large at this point. In addition to being the “fun uncle” or “fun brother-in-law” at family get-togethers, he was the “fun dad.” He loved the summer season – no night nor vacation day was wasted. He lived to coach all of his kids in their activities and never passed up the opportunity for backyard baseball, basketball, or football. Once the chores were done, he wasted no time to change his clothes. His signature uniform consisted of wranglers, a button up, Redwing work boots, and a trucker hat (turned backwards of course). These games were unbelievably intense, and he liked it that way. Not very often did anyone walk away without some sort of cut, bruise, or jammed finger.

Participating in the fun traditions of his hometown was important to him. He was all-in while playing in the Henefer Tournaments and riding in the famous Potato Race. Those that played with or against him can attest to his passion and intensity. The memories made throughout the years stuck with him. Not more than one week before he passed, he was describing flashbacks of a championship round in a past Potato Race.

Summer also brought the Summit County Fair. Arlin helped all of his kids raise and show pigs at the Junior Livestock Show. Raising pigs started as a hobby but quickly blossomed into a passion. He made many long-lasting friends from all over and developed high-performing stock through years of development and attention. He volunteered at the Junior Livestock Sale faithfully for almost 30 years. 

Topped off with a fishing trip to the Uintas, summer would come to an end, which meant football and hunting season. Whether he was coaching, or cheering his sons on, he thrived on that time of year. He’d grit his teeth, rub his big hands together and say, “it’s a beautiful night for a football game.” The next morning, he was saddling “Topper”, “Dude”, or “Bo” to look for elk or deer up Lost Creek or Grass Creek. His chaps, scabbard, and saddle bags all proudly bore his nickname, “Wolf”, (which was fitting for multiple reasons, but especially for how fast he “woofed” his food down). Some of his fondest memories with his dad, sons, relatives, and friends came from inside the saddle on those brisk October mornings.

 Arlin was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served in many capacities and applied his usual intensity to each calling. Those that had him as a young men’s leader cannot help but laugh when talking of memories with Arlin. They cherish memories of broom hockey, watching him go head-to-head with a bucking horse high in the Uintas, or turning his headlights off to avoid a speeding ticket while driving to a fireside. One noteworthy illustration of his commitment to serve manifested while teaching the 9-year-olds of the ward. His calling didn’t start Saturday night, nor end Sunday afternoon. He pondered on that class around the clock - thinking of ways to better connect with the class and help them understand the principles. He and Carolyn consistently spoke of serving a mission one day, but the Lord already knew he had served many. His selfless compassion and Christlike awareness touched more lives than he knew of. He always found himself on the Lord’s errand. Throughout the years, the fact that he would consistently put his family’s, or anyone else’s needs before his own was repeatedly discussed. He did not care if this was to his detriment. He always loved and followed the example of the Savior, and that is how he lived.

The ten years that preceded his diagnosis were fun filled with grandchildren, more pig shows, attending college football games, graduations, schoolboard meetings, and participating in Ragnar Relay Races. It goes without saying that he ran as hard as his body allowed and trained for countless hours. Again, he just loved to compete. He was an incredible grandpa and made the most of what time he had left. He loved all of his grandchildren and refused to let go until hearing their voices one last time.

Heaven became quite a bit louder as he was reunited with those that went before him. Amongst the first he visits are: Shaylee Ovard (daughter), Anita Ovard (sister), Grandparents (Staples and Ovard), his father and mother-in-law, brother-in-law, countless mentors, and of course, his favorite cows, horses, and childhood dogs.

Arlin lives on inside the hearts of his wife Carolyn, his daughters Jessica (Ben) Omer, Amy (Rocky) Roath, his sons Kyler (Madison), Jace (Stephanie), and Devin (Cassidy), his parents, his four sisters, and 11 grandchildren: Ella, Maccoy, Marley, Nolan, Macy, Millie, Jency, Vera, Dylan, Hazen, and Bella.

The family sincerely thanks everybody for their kindness. Countless selfless acts were made in Arlin’s honor, and they did not go unnoticed. A special thank you to nurse Jamie and the team at Canyon Home Care & Hospice.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 11:00 AM, at the Henefer Chapel. Viewings will be held Friday from 6-8 PM and Saturday from 9:30-10:30 AM, prior to the service.