Richard VonWeller Obituary (1945 - 2022)

Richard H. vonWeller, 76, of Bountiful, Utah passed away March 26, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah from complications of cancer. He was born August 18, 1945, in Wendell, Idaho to Harold and Sarah Phillips vonWeller. He was fourth of five children with three sisters and a big brother. Richard grew up in southern Idaho farm country. By all accounts he spent his life as a free range child running along the Snake River Canyon, swimming in Thousand Springs, sleeping under the stars, harassing farm animals and wildlife (including rattle snakes) and pretty much avoiding or defying any authority. He would regale friends and family with stories of his daring feats some courageous, some stupid, most legal and some not so legal. As a teenager Richard worked for Borings Drug where he became a master soda jerk and the after-hours supplier of cigarettes and condoms. When a young man he worked as farm laborer, in the Green Giant processing plant, and briefly as a custom farmer. When he married his first of three wives he moved to Utah and worked for Mountain Fuel (now Questar) and at Shlitz brewery. After he found himself single again and still in his early 20’s he was recruited by a large HVAC manufacturer as a factory representative covering the southeast US. While living in the South his apartment burned down, Martin Luther King was assassinated, he witnessed a riot and was threatened with a gun. Richard decided it was time to come home to the intermountain west where he worked various construction jobs. In the construction field he found his calling as a public servant working as a building inspector, building official and as a construction consultant. He spent the last 17 years of his career as a commercial building inspector for Park City, Utah. Richard was involved in his professional organization where he found others who shared a dedication to making buildings safe. He became expert in wood frame construction eventually teaching a class on the subject where he became friends with his future third and final wife. He married Anne Robinson June 2, 1985 in Summit County, Utah. She became more and more involved with codes and the related organizations where he steadfastly supported her activities. He even accepted the position as “first lady” of an international non-profit organization. Because he was from Utah, the 16 spouses of the board decided they were his “sister wives”. They loved him so much they jealously refused to let Anne be one of the “sisters”. He was an incredible carpenter who could do anything to do with construction. He and his family built his dream home on the Bountiful bench with magnificent views which he took time to appreciate every day. That’s been his home for the past 34 years. He was extraordinarily generous with his time, resources and talent helping family and friends. He expressed his love by taking care of others. He was unique in every way and will never be replicated. Richard was adamant there was to be no funeral service, but there will be a modest celebration of life with the time and place to be determined. He is survived by: Wife, Anne vonWeller; son, Jake vonWeller; grandchildren, Makinnley, Zachery, Ashton, Olyvia, and Tyton vonWeller; sisters, Ruth Baum and Darlene Skeem; and brother, George vonWeller; additional family, Ernie vonWeller and Jade Larsen. He is predeceased by: son, Jason vonWeller; and sister, Martha Fotchman He wished any donations go thankfully to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.