A large reason why my family strives to follow Jesus Christ is due to the groundwork laid by my ancestors... people like J Haight.  His diligent observance of his beliefs and adherence to his duty was passed to his daughter Penny, to me, and now hopefully to my children.  As a kid I remember going to grandpa and grandma Haight's house in Midvale and swimming and enjoying grandpa's strawberry ice cream cones.  Their home had a peaceful spirit, where I associated with lots of family members.  Most of my friends I grew up with rarely had a relationship with both of their parents let alone with 18 aunts and uncles and a house overflowing with cousins.  Miraculously, this house full of a hundred people (it seemed) was a place to feel welcome and comfortable... to feel peace and remember the purpose of this life- to form families that foster the growth of Heavenly Father's children.  This is yet another evidence of the character implicitly found within my grandparents.  No family is perfect, but as a child I felt loved and welcome there- and a home like that takes years of work to build.    
  
This past winter I took my 2 year old son camping, and we slept in a snow cave we built, and took a mile long hike.  He mentions that occasionally, remembering that it was fun and warm.  Just last month I went on a 8 mile bike ride and mile long hike with my 4 and 6 year old daughters who rode their own bikes the whole way.  I have ridden my bike over 1,000 miles to work and back in the past 6 months.  My wife and I strive to maintain a careful budget and are teaching our kids to work and manage money by giving them quarters for doing their job all on their own- which is bringing wood in from the shed to stack next to the wood stove.  (My wife and) I would like to take credit for these things, but we must admit that if I hadn't grown up learning from my Grandpa Haight's and mom's examples, my own children would have grown up much differently.  He will be remembered for generations.

J is my grandpa, my mom Penny's dad.  I didn't see him more than a handful of times per year as I lived several hours away but he made a significant impact on how I live my life- specifically due to my mom's characteristics which she obtained from his example and then passed on to me, which I am passing on to my kids.  

My grandpa J Haight was an example of hard work and independence, as others have pointed out here.  He demonstrated good character on many levels.  You would be hard pressed to find a man these days like him.  A man who built a large family with a wife he respects and cares for- a man who takes care of each of his children, not just providing them with food and shelter- but demonstrates interest in them and places fatherhood as a top priority.  A man who did all of that, took care of his primary familial duties, and also made time to serve in an extremely demanding church calling and to serve people in less visible ways too...  Nobody is perfect, but when you find someone with a demanding home life like he had, who is known for not quitting or complaining or losing his temper despite the pressures of work and church and family placed upon him... that is a true indicator of strong character in my opinion.  I aspire to be remembered in a similar way by my 5 kids some day.  

My grandpa J Haight was known for riding his bike and hiking, and doing so with his kids.  He was known for working hard and involving his kids in that work even when it would have been much easier to do the thing by himself.  I know lots of people who run marathons, bike impressive distances & work hard... but I don't know many people who do those things, patiently, with their kids.  I don't know many people who make it a family tradition, not only in their immediate family but a tradition that continues into the next generations.  The reason not many people do it is because it is very difficult- and I am taking this opportunity to recognize and appreciate my grandpa for that.  

Brother Haight has a larger-than-life presence in my own personal memory book. I was a regular visitor to the house on 6400 West, and I remember him as someone who was welcoming and tolerant, someone who encouraged and fostered activity and creativity around the house, and someone who was always ready with a memorable story. He’d use these stories as teaching illustrations but also as forms of mere entertainment. He was a thoughtful person in both meanings of the term: 1) full of challenging musings and 2) ever mindful of his fellow humans, and I’d venture to guess that many an unheralded tale could be told about his service orientation. 

He seemed to me the very embodiment of strength and hands-on resourcefulness at that house he’d done so much building on, and when I played outside in his yard with Hunter, scrambling across a branch like a tree squirrel, watching him coming and going (always on his trusty bicycle), I couldn’t help but feel like one of the children in the garden of a benevolent giant. 

During my teenage years , those times of complex existential thought tendencies, I had many opportunities to sit in his front room (in Midvale during that time) and learn the more grown-up form of play called “conversation.” I will always cherish those talks with a man who had read so deeply and who had traversed, many times over, the sort of conceptual waters I was just discovering. The world doesn’t present us many people like Brother Haight, and I’m deeply grateful to have known him.

Here is Dad at my house in Ogden working hard with Alexis. 

We are deeply saddened by the passing of your Dad, Granddad & Great Granddad.  I know heaven welcomed him with open arms as he is reunited with  his family & friends that passed before.  

May God hold each and every one in the palms of His Holy hands and grant you healing, peace and comfort.

We would have loved meeting him .
love ya'll
Ed & Sharon

I remember Dad carrying me on his shoulders when I was small. He never seemed to get tired.  I remember him frequently braiding my hair into two simple braids so it wouldn’t get tangled.  He was always gentle. When I was about 9 we rode our bicycles across the valley to Grandma’s house. He let me set the pace and never became impatient with my slowness. He made me feel important when he taught me how to irrigate our large  garden so I could do the job while he was on a business trip. He made me feel special when he took me on one of his business trips and even gave me a turn driving the company truck.  He took me on a hike to the top of Pike’s Peak when I was 19. I was near collapse but as usual, he didn’t seem tired. He didn’t tease me for being out of shape. He just patiently hiked alongside me. I think I could finally hike at his pace when he was about 80.  In a big family those one on one times become very precious. I’m grateful that Dad took the time to create good memories with me. 

I will always remember J. He picked me up from the airport the day before I went into the MTC. He took me to the church museum and we had great conversations on the gospel. He could sense my anxiety and later we went on a bike ride. We kept in touch via letter on and after my mission, and I still have every letter and far side comic he sent with them! He was truly a Christ-like person and I am ever grateful that God allowed me to befriend him!

I have very fond memories of summertime at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Anytime I wanted to swim in the pool, Grandpa always would come and sit and read a book while I swam. He never said no, or acted like I was putting him out. A few times he braided my hair so it wouldn't get tangled while I swam. Then there was always ice cream cones! Usually strawberry, he always said yes to that too!


I remember Dad (Kelly) telling us about how they shared a cow with a neighbor and Dad would milk it early in the morning before going to work and then milk it again when he came home each night.  Here he is carrying the milk pail back to the house.  

My Dad would cut two thick slices of Grandma's whole wheat bread, put thick slabs of cheese on them and toast them in the oven and eat them with a big glass of milk every afternoon when he came home from school.  He still loves bread, cheese and milk  and all the memories it brings back to him.

Grandpa with my Dad and Uncle Denton at the house in Hunter, Utah.

Grandpa's first home in Kearns, Utah with Grandma, Janie, Kim, Kelly, Merilee and Kerry!

My dad was the hardest worker I know. He built his own house, took care of the animals and garden and rode his bike many miles to work every day. I don't remember him ever taking a sick day. He loved to climb mountains and he usually forged his own path to the top. I remember all the hikes we did together and how his denim jacket smelled like a campfire. He kept a pin on that jacket that had a word that was Finnish for "Courage". That is how he lived his life, with courage and forging his own path.
Thank you dad for all the good memories and the great example of work ethic and courage! 

I'll never forget the first time I met Grandpa, he was so kind and welcomed me into the family right away, he even held his own conversing with me in Italian! He always had a funny antidote to tell and a few wise words of advice. We will miss him! What a wonderful life he led, what a legacy! And a big, beautiful family so full of love!  

My Father taught us to be frugal, we fixed and repaired and used what we could find around the house to make those repairs. We ate every scrap of food we put on our plates, he never demanded that of us, it was just the way things were.  If someone didn't eat everything, you would find my father finishing it up for them. 

One day, he was picking up and eating a few crumbs off of the table and he paused and took one back out of his mouth - he couldn't see it that well, but as he looked closer he realized it was an eraser that had broken off of the back of a yellow school pencil.  We all had a good laugh with him about that.

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Funeral Service

Jane Hook

Kim (Dennis) Healey

Kelly (Cynthia) Haight

Merilee (Scott) Wipperman

Kerry Noble

Denton (Janet) Haight

Penny (Jeff) Willes

Vida (Shawn) Liddell

Hunter (Teresa) Haight

Michiel Haight

He is also survived by his three brothers and three sisters as well as 41 grandchildren, 57 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren who will cherish his memory.

OBITUARY

J Golden Haight

August 15, 1926 – March 2, 2020

Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary

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