SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert's father passed away Monday morning after a lengthy bout with cancer.
Duane Barlow Herbert, 80, died at approximately 9:30 a.m. surrounded by family.
Gary Herbert was a young boy when his parents divorced and his mother, Carol, married Duane Herbert. The governor was adopted by Duane Herbert and later worked with his father at the real estate firm of Herbert & Associates.
In an Aug. 16, 2009, interview, the governor identified his father as his hero, according to the governor's office. "He is just the epitome of a hard worker who has been able to pull himself up by his bootstraps (and) accomplish a lot more than probably most people would have thought possible."
The governor did not attend the Monday funeral of slain Millard County sheriff's deputy Josie Greathouse Fox and was expected to cancel other events on his schedule.