Wendle “Rust” Bailey Black

February 9, 1924 ~ March 12, 2015
Our loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 12, 2015.
Rust was born February 9, 1924 in Blanding, UT to Willard Lawrence and Anna Eva Bailey Black.
He was raised in Monticello. Since he was the first grandchild, his grandparents Nephi and Mary Bailey, doted over him. He spent a lot of time at the Bailey ranch near Carlisle. He attended Monticello High School and the College of Eastern Utah in Price, UT, where he ran track prior to enlisting in the Marine Corps to serve his country.
He served as a US Marine from 1943 to 1946 in World War II, taking over and securing the Pacific Islands. He was severely wounded in battle after landing on Saipan and was awarded the Purple Heart medal and honorably discharged from service.
Rust was a miner and construction worker by trade. His last job was working for the San Juan School District as a Maintenance Superintendent.
Rust had a passion for hunting and a love of the outdoors like no other. He was definitely a great deer hunter. Friends from California and Missouri would make annual trips to Monticello to participate in the two-week Deer Hunt.
This became a tradition. Everyone enjoyed pulling trailers up on the mountain and camping out during the hunt. As he grew older in years he still enjoyed taking his children and grandchildren fishing and hunting.
Several years after the death of his wife, Una Dalton Black, Rust started to make annual trips to Arizona to visit his sister, Lee and her husband Ben Dibble, and enjoy the warmer winters in the Arizona sunshine. This is where he met his wife, Doris Elkins Black. They were married on May 23, 1987 in Salt Lake City, UT. They enjoyed serving an LDS mission together in the Arizona Tucson Mission.
Other enjoyments for Rust was raising a big garden and meticulously taking care of his yard. He loved to work outside in the yard. Every year he would say he was going to grow a smaller garden and every year the garden grew in size.
You couldn’t visit without being taken out to the garden and given a sack of vegetables and fruit. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Then he would also send you home with a bottle of strawberry freezer jam or some freezer corn.
Rust is survived by sisters Gaye Carter of Cedar City, UT and Doris Pehrson of Monticello, UT, wife Doris E. Black of Monticello, son Mike (Judy) Jones of Austin, TX, son Von (Carrie) Black of Monticello, daughter Verna (Jeff) Askwig of Salt Lake City, UT, stepchildren (Mike (Julie) Woffinden of Provo, UT, Debbie (Dennis) Thornton of Tustin, CA, Dan (Tetea) Woffinden of Salt Lake City, UT, Dawn (Louis) Frazier of Phoenix, AZ, 24 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren with two more on the way.
He is preceded in death by his parents Willard Lawrence and Eva Bailey Black, wife Jonny Lou Kerr Jones, wife Una Fay Dalton Black and sister Lee Zinke Dibble.
Funeral services were held on March 20, followed by interment at Verdure Cemetery with military honors.
Card of thanks
The family of Wendle “Rust” Bailey Black would like to express appreciation for the great outpouring of love and charity. Special thanks for the family dinner following interment and Danny Palmer for his compassionate and professional service for the funeral arrangements.