John Wilding

Obituary for
John Dean Wilding

John Dean Wilding, age 66, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Saturday, November 24, 2018, in Provo after enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with his family. John was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on June 16, 1952 to Morris Dean Wilding and Loa Joy Chapman. He was the first of seven children, including Loa, Howard, Rebecca, Belinda, Jennifer, and David, and has been reunited with his mother and his sister Belinda, who preceded him in death. He is also survived by his wife, Diana Jean Wilding and his children: Justin “Kayo”, Jeff and Stacey, Chris, Cody, Logan and Julie, Shyanne Claire and Jake, Ashley and Blake, and Megan and Zack. He is also survived by his grandchildren Hadley, Ashlyn, Bentley, Beckham, Nash, Gentry, Reese, and Alice.

John always had an entrepreneurial spirit. As a boy, he sold golf balls that he collected around the golf course and solicited handyman work. Often, people would ask him if he could install something unfamiliar to him. He would confidently respond, “If it has instructions, I can install it.” John later attended BYU and studied construction management, but the lure of starting his own construction company pulled him away from school. He was a contractor in Utah and Guam, where he established and ran a successful company, Quality Builders.

John had a great love for his Savior, Jesus Christ, and served Him as a young missionary in Los Angeles, California. In Guam, he served as a branch president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Later, he served for many years as an ordinance worker in the Provo Temple. John followed Jesus’ instruction found in Matthew 10:42… “whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” As John enjoyed an ice filled mug of cold water, most nights he would place a mug by Diana’s bed.

He loved open spaces, animals, country music, and dancing. He built a ranch with horses and a fishing pond so he could be closer to nature. He loved riding his horses and was an avid hunter and fisherman. One of his favorite pastimes was going to plays and concerts with his sweetheart Diana. As a contractor and rancher, John provided ample opportunity for his children to work hard. He loved his children, and later in life, adored his grandchildren. He would often babysit them so he could spend more time with them.

We miss you, John. God be with you until we meet again.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 1st, 2018 at Nelson Family Mortuary, 4780 N. University Avenue, Provo. There will be a visitation on Friday, November 30th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the mortuary and on Saturday from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Lehi City Cemetery.