Garth Whipple Skouson

December 3, 1929 ~ February 28, 2010

Garth Whipple Skouson died at home February 28, 2010.  He was born December 3, 1929 in Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico, the fifth of ten children born to Mary Louise Whipple and Smith Holister Skouson.
Shortly after Garth’s birth, his family moved to El Paso, TX.  They made several other moves before settling in Mesa, AZ, where he attended high school.   
Garth served a mission in Japan from February 1951 to March of 1954.  He graduated from Arizona State University in May of 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education; majoring in Speech and Dramatics and minoring in History. 
From college, he went on active duty with the U. S. Air Force, completed pilot training in March of 1958.  For much of his career, he flew cargo planes and was a flight instructor. 
Air Force assignments took him many places around the world including: Alaska, Hawaii, Viet Nam, Greenland, Israel, Spain, Greece, South America, and Japan.
In 1963, Garth met Sandra Brown.  The couple married August 27, 1964 in the Idaho Falls Temple. 
Primarily the result of Garth’s Air Force assignments, their family grew and grew up around the world.  Their nine children were born in California, Massachusetts, Japan, Maryland, Virginia, Arizona, and Utah.         
Garth retired from the Air Force on January 1, 1977 and moved his family to Orem, UT, where he completed his Master’s degree in counseling and guidance. 
He later pursued a Ph. D. and in the fall of 1983 the family moved to Monticello, where he resided the remainder of his life.  Here he worked as a psychologist for Utah Mental Health. 
After his second retirement, he continued working for Wilderness Quest, served on the San Juan Counseling Board of Directors, facilitated 12-step meetings at the public safety building and, even as recently as November, counseled people in his home.
He was an active member of the LDS Church wherever he lived, serving as a bishop, a branch president, counselor in a district presidency, and, his favorite, scoutmaster. 
He is survived by his wife Sandra, his nine children: Rae (Richard) Agren, Gary (Darlene) Skouson, Mark (Laura) Skouson, Eric (Amy) Skouson, Ruth (Brian) Mattox, Peter (Deborah) Skouson, George (Jill) Skouson, Martha (Brian) Taylor, and Elinor (Robert) Robinson; 29 grandchildren;  and two sisters and a brother.

Card of thanks
The family of Garth Skouson would like to thank the people of this community for their generous and unfailing support of him during his long illness and for the support you have given us these past weeks as we have mourned him. 
Thank you especially to the aids and nurses of Rocky Mountain Home Care and to the men and women of the Third Ward for their very personal and insightful care and support. 
Sincerely,
The Garth Skouson family