James “Jim” Ronald Granquist

James “Jim” Ronald Granquist, a longtime resident of Midvale, Utah, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 74 from a traumatic brain injury due to a fall at his home in Riverton, Utah.

Jim was born August 25th, 1947 to Wilfrid A. and Naomi Shore Granquist in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up on a mink farm just off of Creek Road with his older sisters, Kathy and Nancy. Together, along with his many cousins, they enjoyed many adventures and mischief along the creek. He tragically lost his dad at the age of 10. He was looking forward to being with him again.

He enjoyed writing, and wrote for the Ogden Standard Examiner covering high school sports. One of the highlights of his time at the Examiner was when he was assigned to cover the first Golden Eagles Hockey game in 1969. This assignment sparked in him a lifelong love for the game of hockey. He was a Golden Eagles season ticket holder for many years.

He worked a variety of jobs throughout the years, including time with Key Airlines, Western Airlines, and Delta Airlines. After retiring from the airline industry he spent years entertaining the passengers on tour busses as he conveyed tour groups locally and around the country.

He had a love of travel and the variety of methods of travel. He loved watching trains, flying on airplanes, cruising on the ocean, or just driving around the country in his truck. His travels took him around the world and to every hidden corner of the United States.

He was the undisputed champion of the Train Game, which was not surprising since he made up the game and changed the rules on a whim to ensure he would always win.

He loved taking care of his yard, and joked that his flowers were the only real ones in the neighborhood and that the others were all fake.

He was the self-appointed king of the neighborhood watch, keeping an eye on the neighborhood from his perch on the porch. The self proclaimed, “Lord of Lincoln Street.”

As a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he held many callings, but he avoided Sunday School attendance religiously.

He married the love of his life, Rhonda Phelps, on March 20th, 1970, and recently celebrated 52 amazing years together. They had four children, Ryan (Barbra), Liz (Shawn), Katie (Mike), and Annie (Dan). He liked his children, but adored his grandchildren, making it a point to call or text each of them nearly every day. His grandchildren are Anna (Tyler), Erin, Mikey, Ethan, Jenna (Jarius), Rachel, Holly, Matthew, Mason, Allie, Titan, Charlie, and Sydney.

He is preceded in death by his father, Wilfrid, his mother, Naomi, his sisters, Kathy and Nancy, and his half-brother Jay Granquist of Kansas City, Missouri. And Millard, “The Cat from Hell.”

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 21st at 11:00 am at the LDS Stake Center on 97 West 7500 South in Midvale, Utah. There will be a viewing on Friday evening from 6:00-8:00 pm and Saturday morning from 10:00-10:45 am at the same location. Jim would like you to come to the funeral prepared to weep and wail at his absence. As Jimmy would say, “Tissues will not be provided, bring your own.”

The funeral will be livestreamed at the following link:
https://sites.google.com/view/midvalenorthvirtual/home