Richard Barry Hasleton
October 27, 1942 — March 19, 2021
Richard Barry Hasleton
His life's work completed, Richard Barry Hasleton passed from this life to the next on Friday, March 19, 2021. He leaves behind the love of his life, Laurel, 7 children, 29 grand-children, and 2 great-grand-children.
Born October 27, 1942, in Alexandria, Minnesota, to Hubert and Ardes Hasleton, he is the oldest of 8 children (Gayle, Jim, Beverley, Perry, Hal, Susan, and Carol). "Dickie" as he was called by his father, worked on the family farm; soybeans being a typical crop they harvested, and turkeys being a typical animal they raised. At a young age he learned the value of hard work, responsibility, and finishing a job correctly once started.
Dad had a lot of memories of his formative years on the farm that we loved to hear him share with us. He used to look out of his bedroom window at the white barn and see two weathervanes atop two huge cupolas on either end of the barn roof (one a horse, the other a cow). Those two weathervanes were so interesting to him, he just had to see them up close - perhaps touch them. The problem was, they were on the top of a very steep-roofed barn, with no direct access. Being a brash 15 year old, none of these obstacles deterred him. So, through a bit of ingenuity, he figured out how to get onto the roof of the barn. On the east side of the barn, his father had built a lean-to that when he stood on the roof of it, allowed him to reach the very steep part of the barn roof. There he began nailing cut 2x4s into the roof one at a time, allowing him to make his way up to the not-quite-as-steep (but still dangerous) part of the barn roof. Once on top, he walked along the ridge to one of the cupolas, climbed up the structure and took a look at the weathervane. Not wanting to keep this experience all to himself, he went down and convinced Jim (his brother) to go up with him. The 2x4s were soon discovered by his father (Hubert) when he looked at the barn from a soybean field and said to him: "Dickie, can you see those things as they go up the side of the barn? What are they? Pigeons? I have never seen pigeons do that before, all lined up in a row like that." He eventually admitted to nailing the wood to the barn and removed them so no one else could use them and potentially get hurt.
There was very little in the way of excess money for the family growing up. Farm life was financially difficult, living season to season trying to make ends meet. For example, the Christmas of 1956 consisted of two gifts for him: a yellow scarf and cloth gloves. To put it simply, the family was materially poor. Being the oldest one winter he even had to place cardboard as the filler for his shoe sole. However, they were rich as to the things that ultimately matter most: family. Everything started and ended with one thing: family.
The Hasleton families in Minnesota were of Norwegian descent and followed the traditional religious denomination of Scandinavians: they were Lutherans. In June of 1954, the family was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by local members Harold and Alice Hill (owners of a tire shop in Alexandria). On February 5, 1955, the family joined the Church through baptism. Dad always told us that this was the pivotal moment in his life when he joined the Church.
He served as a missionary for the Church in the Southern States Mission from 1962-1964. His mission took him through several states, including Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. And while he was never one to tell us of his accomplishments, mission records for his second year only show 114 souls joined the Church due to his effort and hard work. He later admitted the official number was north of 200.
Education was a critical part of his life and he wanted to take full advantage of it. He believed that success at school would translate to a better chance of making a living to support his future family. Starting college at the University of Minnesota, he was always proud of his 2nd place finish in the martial art of Judo. He graduated from BYU with a dual degree in Accounting and English in 1968; minoring in Physics. He later came back and received a Masters in Business Administration from BYU in 1974.
While at a Halloween party at BYU in October of 1964, he met a young lady named Laurel Mecham. He recalls: "There was Laurel. She was attractive - a blonde from California. After all, they don't get any better!" Soon after this party, they were inseparable. He was a frequent visitor at the Heritage Halls dorm room of Laurel (sometimes daily); coming over with the excuses of wanting "dessert" and "to study" (uh huh, sure; whatever Dad). "You Guys." Their courtship turned to romance and romance led to marriage. They were sealed January 26, 1966, in the Salt Lake Temple and just recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.
His professional career started in Baytown, Texas, where he worked for Humble Oil and Refining (now part of Exxon) calculating statistics on the throughput of the entire Baytown refinery. He then worked for Arthur Anderson LLP (formerly one of the "Big Five" accounting firms in the world) and Daylin in Los Angeles, and finally CR England, Wycoff, Express Company, and Redex in Salt Lake City where he worked in positions ranging from Controller to CFO. Ultimately he decided that he preferred to be an entrepreneur, and with the help of his father and two brothers, purchased Columbia Water Conditioning Systems in the spring of 1985. In 1998, he sold the business he had put so much of his time and effort into building, retiring to be with his family. Owning his own business gave him the opportunity to help his children learn the value of hard work, responsibility and finishing a job correctly - just as he had learned growing up on the farm. He took complete advantage of this situation and immediately put his children to work. And while we may have sometimes complained (ok, who are we kidding, we complained a lot), looking back now, we understand with a clarity only time provides, that the motives he operated under were based in love and he was helping us gain invaluable experience we could not obtain in other ways. Thank you Dad for insisting we help you.
His early parenting style can be compared to "a thundering velvet hand." He was tough on us; but patient and understanding while we learned the difficult lessons of life. As he aged, his perspective changed and his parenting style with it. His rough edges had been removed, leaving a polished surface. Love and wisdom were now his hallmarks.
He believed intensely that part of his life's mission was to teach his family about the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and living a Christ-like life. This task he took on with happiness and an unwavering dedication. He had us rephrase and sing the opening sentence in the primary song "Book of Mormon Stories" to be: "Book of Mormon stories that my Father tells to me." He lived that dictum. With a strong conviction of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, he would frequently say to us: "Within these pages lie all the answers one needs to return to the Lord's presence." The scriptures he used daily are the ones he took on his mission; they contain 59 years worth of cross-references and notes that make them an absolute treasure-trove of knowledge. He was always true to what he learned and unashamedly would refuse to yield his course to anyone or anything if they advocated for a deviation from God and His plan. As a family and individually we had many discussions about gospel topics over the years. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge about anything and everything to do with the Church (history, doctrine, scriptures); he simply cannot be replaced. The use of the word "Scriptorian" falls thoroughly short of describing his abilities and knowledge of the gospel. Reading and learning were a great passion of his. He collected more than 5000 church related books in a personal library, that he knew inside and out, and could pull out quotes and references almost at will. He could combine seemingly disparate gospel topics and tie them together in a manner that it became so obvious and simple; the only response to this would be, "Well yeah, I don't know why I didn't see that before." His thirst for and love of the gospel, along with his willingness to share his testimony or different gospel principles at a moment's notice will never be forgotten.
Coming from a large family himself, he wanted a large family as well, and God blessed him with 7 children. Mike (Jill Manges), David (Kimberly Fillmore), Janna (Dan Kurtz), Tami (Bryan Nelson), Rick (Lisa Williams), Tom (Heidi Peterson), and Sarah Hasleton Linder are the tip of the iceberg for the family and legacy in life that he leaves behind. The anchor he provided to us, the example he set, and the life he lived will forever shine in the lives of those who knew him best and will never be forgotten.
Because he loved the scriptures and valued the word of the Lord so much, it is only fitting to share a few scriptures that describe his life: 2 Timothy 4:7; 2 Nephi 31:20; D&C 132:22-24
A few days before his passing, he was asked for one thing that could sum up his life. His response: "I was true to the Lord!"
Sail on Captain!!
Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 25, 2021, at 11:00 am at Anderson & Goff Mortuary, 11859 South 700 East, Draper. There will be a viewing on Wednesday from 6:00-8:00 pm, and also on Thursday one hour prior to the services. Interment, Larkin Sunset Gardens.
The services will be livestreamed on the Anderson & Goff Mortuary Facebook page, which will go live at 11:00 am, and will also be recorded and posted to the same page later. There will be a link to the recording at the bottom of this obituary on the website after the services have been posted.
To view a video recording of the services, please go to:
https://fb.watch/4sE9PexKdN/
Born October 27, 1942, in Alexandria, Minnesota, to Hubert and Ardes Hasleton, he is the oldest of 8 children (Gayle, Jim, Beverley, Perry, Hal, Susan, and Carol). "Dickie" as he was called by his father, worked on the family farm; soybeans being a typical crop they harvested, and turkeys being a typical animal they raised. At a young age he learned the value of hard work, responsibility, and finishing a job correctly once started.
Dad had a lot of memories of his formative years on the farm that we loved to hear him share with us. He used to look out of his bedroom window at the white barn and see two weathervanes atop two huge cupolas on either end of the barn roof (one a horse, the other a cow). Those two weathervanes were so interesting to him, he just had to see them up close - perhaps touch them. The problem was, they were on the top of a very steep-roofed barn, with no direct access. Being a brash 15 year old, none of these obstacles deterred him. So, through a bit of ingenuity, he figured out how to get onto the roof of the barn. On the east side of the barn, his father had built a lean-to that when he stood on the roof of it, allowed him to reach the very steep part of the barn roof. There he began nailing cut 2x4s into the roof one at a time, allowing him to make his way up to the not-quite-as-steep (but still dangerous) part of the barn roof. Once on top, he walked along the ridge to one of the cupolas, climbed up the structure and took a look at the weathervane. Not wanting to keep this experience all to himself, he went down and convinced Jim (his brother) to go up with him. The 2x4s were soon discovered by his father (Hubert) when he looked at the barn from a soybean field and said to him: "Dickie, can you see those things as they go up the side of the barn? What are they? Pigeons? I have never seen pigeons do that before, all lined up in a row like that." He eventually admitted to nailing the wood to the barn and removed them so no one else could use them and potentially get hurt.
There was very little in the way of excess money for the family growing up. Farm life was financially difficult, living season to season trying to make ends meet. For example, the Christmas of 1956 consisted of two gifts for him: a yellow scarf and cloth gloves. To put it simply, the family was materially poor. Being the oldest one winter he even had to place cardboard as the filler for his shoe sole. However, they were rich as to the things that ultimately matter most: family. Everything started and ended with one thing: family.
The Hasleton families in Minnesota were of Norwegian descent and followed the traditional religious denomination of Scandinavians: they were Lutherans. In June of 1954, the family was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by local members Harold and Alice Hill (owners of a tire shop in Alexandria). On February 5, 1955, the family joined the Church through baptism. Dad always told us that this was the pivotal moment in his life when he joined the Church.
He served as a missionary for the Church in the Southern States Mission from 1962-1964. His mission took him through several states, including Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. And while he was never one to tell us of his accomplishments, mission records for his second year only show 114 souls joined the Church due to his effort and hard work. He later admitted the official number was north of 200.
Education was a critical part of his life and he wanted to take full advantage of it. He believed that success at school would translate to a better chance of making a living to support his future family. Starting college at the University of Minnesota, he was always proud of his 2nd place finish in the martial art of Judo. He graduated from BYU with a dual degree in Accounting and English in 1968; minoring in Physics. He later came back and received a Masters in Business Administration from BYU in 1974.
While at a Halloween party at BYU in October of 1964, he met a young lady named Laurel Mecham. He recalls: "There was Laurel. She was attractive - a blonde from California. After all, they don't get any better!" Soon after this party, they were inseparable. He was a frequent visitor at the Heritage Halls dorm room of Laurel (sometimes daily); coming over with the excuses of wanting "dessert" and "to study" (uh huh, sure; whatever Dad). "You Guys." Their courtship turned to romance and romance led to marriage. They were sealed January 26, 1966, in the Salt Lake Temple and just recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.
His professional career started in Baytown, Texas, where he worked for Humble Oil and Refining (now part of Exxon) calculating statistics on the throughput of the entire Baytown refinery. He then worked for Arthur Anderson LLP (formerly one of the "Big Five" accounting firms in the world) and Daylin in Los Angeles, and finally CR England, Wycoff, Express Company, and Redex in Salt Lake City where he worked in positions ranging from Controller to CFO. Ultimately he decided that he preferred to be an entrepreneur, and with the help of his father and two brothers, purchased Columbia Water Conditioning Systems in the spring of 1985. In 1998, he sold the business he had put so much of his time and effort into building, retiring to be with his family. Owning his own business gave him the opportunity to help his children learn the value of hard work, responsibility and finishing a job correctly - just as he had learned growing up on the farm. He took complete advantage of this situation and immediately put his children to work. And while we may have sometimes complained (ok, who are we kidding, we complained a lot), looking back now, we understand with a clarity only time provides, that the motives he operated under were based in love and he was helping us gain invaluable experience we could not obtain in other ways. Thank you Dad for insisting we help you.
His early parenting style can be compared to "a thundering velvet hand." He was tough on us; but patient and understanding while we learned the difficult lessons of life. As he aged, his perspective changed and his parenting style with it. His rough edges had been removed, leaving a polished surface. Love and wisdom were now his hallmarks.
He believed intensely that part of his life's mission was to teach his family about the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and living a Christ-like life. This task he took on with happiness and an unwavering dedication. He had us rephrase and sing the opening sentence in the primary song "Book of Mormon Stories" to be: "Book of Mormon stories that my Father tells to me." He lived that dictum. With a strong conviction of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, he would frequently say to us: "Within these pages lie all the answers one needs to return to the Lord's presence." The scriptures he used daily are the ones he took on his mission; they contain 59 years worth of cross-references and notes that make them an absolute treasure-trove of knowledge. He was always true to what he learned and unashamedly would refuse to yield his course to anyone or anything if they advocated for a deviation from God and His plan. As a family and individually we had many discussions about gospel topics over the years. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge about anything and everything to do with the Church (history, doctrine, scriptures); he simply cannot be replaced. The use of the word "Scriptorian" falls thoroughly short of describing his abilities and knowledge of the gospel. Reading and learning were a great passion of his. He collected more than 5000 church related books in a personal library, that he knew inside and out, and could pull out quotes and references almost at will. He could combine seemingly disparate gospel topics and tie them together in a manner that it became so obvious and simple; the only response to this would be, "Well yeah, I don't know why I didn't see that before." His thirst for and love of the gospel, along with his willingness to share his testimony or different gospel principles at a moment's notice will never be forgotten.
Coming from a large family himself, he wanted a large family as well, and God blessed him with 7 children. Mike (Jill Manges), David (Kimberly Fillmore), Janna (Dan Kurtz), Tami (Bryan Nelson), Rick (Lisa Williams), Tom (Heidi Peterson), and Sarah Hasleton Linder are the tip of the iceberg for the family and legacy in life that he leaves behind. The anchor he provided to us, the example he set, and the life he lived will forever shine in the lives of those who knew him best and will never be forgotten.
Because he loved the scriptures and valued the word of the Lord so much, it is only fitting to share a few scriptures that describe his life: 2 Timothy 4:7; 2 Nephi 31:20; D&C 132:22-24
A few days before his passing, he was asked for one thing that could sum up his life. His response: "I was true to the Lord!"
Sail on Captain!!
Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 25, 2021, at 11:00 am at Anderson & Goff Mortuary, 11859 South 700 East, Draper. There will be a viewing on Wednesday from 6:00-8:00 pm, and also on Thursday one hour prior to the services. Interment, Larkin Sunset Gardens.
The services will be livestreamed on the Anderson & Goff Mortuary Facebook page, which will go live at 11:00 am, and will also be recorded and posted to the same page later. There will be a link to the recording at the bottom of this obituary on the website after the services have been posted.
To view a video recording of the services, please go to:
https://fb.watch/4sE9PexKdN/
Guestbook
Visits: 16
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
