Obituary: SPAFFORD, EARL

Earl Smith Spafford12/31/1926 ~ 1/13/2013Earl S. Spafford passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 13, 2013. This fine gentleman carried several titles in his life, including Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Loyal Friend, Founder, Business Partner, Spiritual Mentor, Medical Corpsman, Attorney, Entrepreneur, Genius and truly one of the last of his breed.He was born to Willis Earl Spafford and Belle S. Spafford on December 31, 1926. Prior to his passing, Earl asked me to convey to others that he loves the Lord and has a deep testimony of the Gospel. In his words: "While I am on the subject of testimony I want you to know what I harbor in my mind. I have had a bout of sickness in recent years, and those experiences have caused me to focus upon what I really know to be true. I know there is a God and that he sent his only begotten son to serve mankind. It burns within me like a torch. It strikes my very heart, and causes me to inventory my life over and over again." As a young man, he served as a Navy Medical Corpsman. He received an Honorary Discharge as Pharmacist 2, serving in the South Pacific, and rendering medical care to the Marines. As the war ended, he found himself in the harbor of Tsingtao, China, contiguous to the yellow sea. He wrote that chills ran down his spine as he observed the Japanese surrender their arms in China. He attended Law School at the University of Utah, and was an editor of the University of Utah Law Review. Earl served on the Governor's Blue Ribbon Committee to submit a report on riots at the prison. And went on to practice law for 42 years, representing clients from every station in life. He was generous with his pro bono work. He has a special client who he assisted twenty years ago in resolving a vitriolic divorce. To this day, this special client sends him a large poinsettia every Christmas season. He designed the Indian Adoption Program while working with his mother, Belle S. Spafford, while she was General President of the Relief Society. He also worked with the Relief Society on a program to assist unwed mothers. Both programs were later used by the church nation-wide. As his three sons matured, Dad spent the next 21 years in the Scouting Program, as Scout Master and later as Administrator. During his tenure as Scoutmaster, 31 members of his troop became Eagle Scouts. Earl received the Silver Beaver Award, which is the highest distinction in Scouting.Earl is survived by his wife of 64 years, Iris Montague Spafford, and his 5 children, Janet Wilson (Del), Robert (Debbie), Lynn, Alan (Dorothea) and JoAnn Buck (David). In addition, he is survived by 10 Grandchildren and 9 Great Grandchildren.A viewing will be held on Thursday, January 17th at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Services will be conducted on Friday, January 18th at the Little Cottonwood 1st Ward, 6350 S. Rodeo Drive, There will be a viewing from 12:00 until 12:45 p.m. The services will commence at 1:00 p.m. following the viewing. This information is also posted on the Larkin web site: larkinmortuary.com.