Tuesday, January 12, 2010

This is my Grandpa Herbert's Obituary

Governor's father, Duane Herbert, dies

Genelle Pugmire - Correspondent | Posted: Monday, January 11, 2010 12:15 pm | No Comments Posted

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buy this photo Duane Herbert, of Orem, has Myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and is being treated with an experimental cancer treatment involving stem cells. Herbert said he feels better after the treatment and has more energy. "I think I've been successful, with my Myeloma, because of my positive attitude," Herbert said. LANCE BOOTH/Daily Herald

OREM – Duane Barlow Herbert, 80, was short in stature, but to his family, friends and community he was bigger than life.

“Dad often said, ‘dynamite comes in small packages,’” said daughter Linda Herbert.

Herbert, father of Gov. Gary Herbert, leaves a legacy of love of family, country, service and hard work. Work was Herbert’s byword and anyone who knew him, knew the family slogan, “work will win when wishy-washy wishing won’t.”

Herbert was born Oct. 24, 1929 in Salt Lake City — Black Thursday — and said he was often teased for starting the Great Depression. His mother died when he was 9 years old, and he learned his work ethic from his father. As a young boy living in Idaho, Herbert worked hard and sold eggs to help sustain his family.

He married Carol Boley Herbert on Sept. 12, 1952. They have seven children, Gary, Brent, Connie, Linda, Susan, Tom and Holly.

“He was such a good husband,” Carol Herbert said. “He was a great cook and cooked for me this whole last year as I was healing from some health issues.”

Daughter Connie Herbert Ault added, “Dad could do anything. He was always working on some project to fix up or make our home more beautiful. I was impressed watching him install a new screen door on our basement on his 80th birthday last October.”

Herbert’s local work history began with his employment at Geneva Steel in 1952. He went on to deliver milk — a job he had said taught him a great deal, including how to “hustle,” and how to honestly critique himself each day. He held numerous part-time jobs during the first 15 years of his marriage.

Herbert became a dairy manager, then a real estate broker and owner of Crown Construction.

Herbert has said he wasn’t one for lavish praise or glitzy awards, he just wanted to serve in his community and church the best he knew how. His accomplishments in the community are notable including his service with the Orem Chamber of Commerce. He was an important factor in the early 1980s in the Orem and Provo chambers joining forces.

“Duane Herbert was an outstanding citizen of Orem. I have always had the greatest respect for his efforts in helping to put together the chambers of commerce and for all he did for our community,” said Steve Densley, Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce president. He was the first chairman of the board for the Provo-Orem Chamber and was instrumental in getting the two cities to work together. There is no one I know of that loved his city more than Duane. He was a great friend and a great person and a great friend of business.”

Herbert helped found the Timp Missionary Bookstore and the Utah Valley Home Builders Association. He was president of the Orem Council PTA and a member of the Alpine School District Foundation committee. In Orem, he served on the board of adjustment for years, plus assisted in projects such as strategic planning, the formation of the Commission for Economic Development in Orem, the State Street renovation that began in 1993 and a citywide cleanup campaign. He has been president of the Orem Kiwanis Club, and a lieutenant governor on the district level of Kiwanis. He was a board member of the SCERA Center for the Arts and a member of the Neighborhoods In Action committee.

“He always found ways to serve other people,” Linda Herbert said. Ault added, “He taught us the power of a positive attitude. I also love the way dad gave the Lord the credit for his success.”

Herbert was the recipient of the Arthur V. Watkins Citizen of the Year Award, Builder of the Year and Utah State Chamber Total Citizen.

“Duane Herbert was a man of the community, a family man, a passionate man of service. Every time I talked to him about SCERA, he expressed his love and support for our struggles and our successes. He was a tender-hearted man who cared deeply, a great friend to all. We love him and will miss him very much,” said Adam J. Robertson, SCERA president and CEO.

Herbert was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many capacities, including serving as the Orem Sharon 1st Ward High Priest Group Leader until his recent hospitalization. He served three missions for the church — the first was at age 19 in Central Canada. Later, he and his wife served a mission in Boston from 1997-98, and in Halifax, Canada from 1998-99 where he was assigned to build the LDS temple there.

Gov. Gary Herbert called his father a hero and noted that, “He is the epitome of a hard worker who has been able to pull himself up by the bootstraps (and) accomplish a lot more than probably most people would have thought possible.”

A viewing will be held Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Walker-Sanderson Funeral Home, 646 E. 800 North, Orem. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. with a viewing from 9 to 10:45 a.m. prior to services at the Orem Sharon Stake Center, 545 S. 800 East. Internment will be in the Orem City Cemetery.

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