Loftis Jolley Sheffield, 83, of Provo died April 7, 2000, one day after a sudden heart attack.
Loftis was born in Kaysville, Utah, the son of Lydia Jolley and Fred A. Sheffield. He attended Davis High School, the University of Utah, and George Washington University Law School. While studying law in Washington D.C., he met and fell in love with Blanche Whiteley from Oakley, Idaho. In 1943, they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. A devoted husband, he ended each day, including his last, by saying "Thanks for marrying me."Loftis worked for the FBI for thirty-nine years in Little Rock, (Ark.), Birmingham, (Ala.), St. Louis, Salt Lake City, and finally Provo where he lived for forty-seven years. He and his family enjoyed many memorable times in a family home in Oakley, Idaho.
An active member of the LDS Church, Loftis served as the first bishop of the BYU 15th Ward and in a BYU stake presidency for a total of sixteen years. In 1988 he and Blanche returned to the D.C. area to serve as full-time missionaries.
He is survived by his wife, Blanche Whiteley Sheffield, and seven children: Eileen Dorrity of Salt Lake City; Roger of Highland; Mark of San Jose, CA; Richard of Provo; Tyler of Chicago; Clark of Lindon; Nan Black of Dayton, OH; and 34 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Jane; a grandson, Kevin Bird; a brother, Elbert; and a sister, Lorna Anderson.
Services will be held Wednesday, April 12, at 11 a.m., Pleasant View Chapel, 650 Stadium Avenue, Provo. Friends may call at the Berg Mortuary on Tuesday evening from 6-8 p.m. or at the chapel one hour prior to the services on Monday. Interment will be at the Kaysville City Cemetery.