Leon Milton Sealy, age 89, passed away Nov. 30, 2011 in St. George, Utah, from causes due to old age. He lived life with honesty, integrity, hard work, and a sense of humor. His motto was, “Work, Work, Work!” He loved to work—work was his play.
Leon Milton Sealy was born April 27, 1922, in Thayne, Wyoming, son of Rachel Elizabeth Olsen Sealy and Leon Monette Sealy. He grew up in Logan, Utah, graduating from Logan High School in 1940. Milton married his childhood sweetheart and friend, Shirley Mae Phippen, on Sept. 17, 1941 in Preston, Idaho, later sealed for ‘Time and all Eternity’ Dec. 18, 1942 in the Logan Temple. Together they built six homes and raised five children.
Milton has always been connected to the beauty of God’s rich earth. As a child he enjoyed making clay rabbits and toys from the red soil near his home. As an adult, Milt enjoyed gardening, landscaping, cement mixing, carpentry, and raising multitudes of animals. As a sportsman, Milton enjoyed hunting, fishing, snow skiing, and water skiing—mastering jumping off the dock on one ski and holding the rope in his toe and in his teeth! However, high on his priority list of talents was his lifetime love of fishing. He and his father and two brothers more than likely fished every fishing hole from Utah to Wyoming. His humorous “Big Fish” stories will forever bring a smile to those who loved him dearly.
In his early-married life in S.L.C., Milton started his own business called, “Milt’s Quality Donuts.” Later he worked as an executive for Won Door Corporation, installing folding doors in church houses across the U.S. When Milton moved his family to Highland, Utah, he served as City Councilman. He was an avid BYU football fan and honored member of the Cougar Club, traveling to games far and near. After he retired, Milton and Shirley served an L.D.S. mission as Public Relations Directors in Atlanta, Georgia.
Throughout his life, Milton has been a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Favorite church callings included Bishopric Counselor, High Councilman, and Scouting—taking the scouts to his donut shop to make donuts for fundraisers. As a reward, each young man got to make a giant donut out of a gallon can with the regular donut cutter used as the hole!
Milton is survived by his wife, Shirley Sealy; daughter, Vicki (Richard), daughter Linda (Dale), daughter, Loni (Blaine), son-in-law, Neal, and daughter-in-law, Lori. Also survived by his brother, Ramon (JoAnn), his sister, Angela (Karl), plus 24 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by his daughter, Judy, son, Devro, daughter-in-law, Gayle, and his grandson, Skyler. Also preceded in death by his sisters, Eva and Ruth, his brother, Denton, and his parents.
A Fisherman's Prayer
I pray that I may live to fish,
Until my dying day.
And when it comes to my last cast,
I then most humbly pray:
When in the Lord's great landing net,
And peacefully asleep,
That in His mercy I be judged,
Big enough to keep!
