Jack E. Jarrard, 84, a former Church News editor and staff writer, died March 25, 2001, in Salt Lake City after a series of long illnesses.
He joined the Deseret News, which owns the Church News, in 1948 after leaving the Idaho Statesman in Boise, Idaho. He began his newspaper career in 1940 at the Salt Lake Telegram as a copy boy, then worked as a staff photographer and writer before going to Idaho.
During his 37-year career at the Deseret News, he worked on the wire and city desks before becoming business editor. In that capacity, he covered many of the newsworthy events of the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the uranium boom in southeastern Utah. For a short period, he worked at the Deseret News press as a sales representative until he returned to his first love, writing and photography.
He rejoined the Deseret News as a member of the Church News staff and worked there as a staff writer, then Church News editor. In 1969, he became traveling editor for the Church News. His photographs and articles recounted the growth of the Church over a decade as he traveled throughout much of the world with numerous Church leaders. In 1977, a stroke forced him to change assignments; he joined the wire and copy desk as a copy editor where he worked until his retirement in 1981.
Brother Jarrard was born in Garfield, Utah, in 1916 and attended Salt Lake public schools. He served in the U.S. Army in 1942 until his discharge. He is survived by his wife, Edna, their five children, 20 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.