Brent Earl Groth

Brent Earl Groth (80) peacefully left this mortal life on September 16, 2023, in Provo, Utah, with his five living children and his loving wife by his side.

Brent was born on February 3, 1943, in Oakland, Alameda County, California, the only child of Earl and Florence Groth. He had a big heart and a love for his family. He also loved cars, trains big and small, and the outdoors, and was an avid gospel learner and devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

As a boy Brent loved going on adventures with his cousins and friends as they ran around Sacramento. He cherished time spent with his parents visiting Lake Tahoe and watching the Cab Forward locomotives climb Donner summit. Each year he and his dad would look through the Lionel toy train catalog and pick the train that would be under the tree each Christmas. Brent loved spending time with his father on their many outdoor adventures.

When Brent was 15 years old his family took a trip to Yellowstone in the ’55 Pontiac. Having previously been introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by his father’s friend, they decided to stop in Salt Lake City to see Temple Square and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Not long after that trip his father passed away.

Brent went to college in Sacramento, California, and then moved to Milpitas to work for Ford building Mustangs. At the urging of his mom Brent moved back to Sacramento to work for the state as an apprentice mechanic. He took a vacation to Southern California to see a college friend, and on the way down he had car trouble and ended up meeting Jerry Fairchild who offered him a job in his repair shop in Pasadena. While in Pasadena Brent joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And while working at Fairchilds he met a customer with whom he became lifelong friends and who ended up introducing him to his sister Patricia (Pat), whom he later married.

He went to work for Volkswagon of America as an instructor for the factory mechanics all across the county and attended UCLA to obtain his teaching degree. He also taught auto shop at Culver City College. Brent and Pat were married on April 23, 1975, in the Manti, Utah, temple. They didn’t want to raise their family in southern California, so they moved to Heber City to begin their life together, where they raised 6 children, Brent Jr., Christina, David, Emily, Francine, and Gwen. Brent and Pat lived a rich life together in Heber City.

For work, Brent repaired cars at Spencers Auto Sales and then rented an auto repair shop for a few years in Heber City, before he bought his own auto body and repair shop. There he spent all his working days towing and repairing cars, and teaching any of his children who wanted to learn (or not!) about fixing cars. If not at the shop, Brent could be found at the Heber Creeper on Saturday. He was able to achieve his and his father’s dream of engineering a steam locomotive through Provo Canyon. He also spent time as a member of the Board of Directors of the Heber Creeper, and the now Heber Valley Railroad. In other civic duties, he also served as a commissioner on the Heber City Planning Commission. Brent loved the beauties of the Heber Valley and the blessings it provided to his family.

When Brent was 52 years old he went back to school at the University of Utah to get a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry, however, it became time for his own children to attend college so he never pursued his medical degree. While in school he worked as a park ranger at Timpanogas Cave National Monument, where he really came to love hiking and the outdoors and sharing it with his family. While working at the cave as a ranger, Brent designed and implemented the Behind A Tour Specialist (B.A.T.S.) program that is still used today to assist with tours through the cave.

He loved taking his family to visit his mother in California each Christmas and at different times of the year too. Brent had a great love for the cute house and town she lived in.

Brent served faithfully in many different callings in the Church, as librarian, President of the ward Seventy, Sunday School President, Ward Mission Leader, temple ordinance worker, and home teacher and ministering brother. As a home teacher he faithfully visited every family on the first Sunday of every month, usually accompanied by one of his sons.

Brent loved studying the scriptures every morning. His goal was to live worthy of the blessings of eternal life, so he could be reunited with his beloved parents and daughter, and his entire family once this earthly life is over.

Each of Brent’s children will miss his inopportune and random phone calls, which were really more listening to stories than they were conversations.

He had an amazing gift of becoming a best friend after only a few minutes of sharing his stories. Brent left an impression on everyone he met, and the world is a better place for having him in it.

Brent was preceded in death by his parents Earl and Florence, his parents-in law Evan Lamar and Marylene, his daughter, Christina, and Brothers-in Law Roger, Willie, Glen, Jim, and Scott.

Brent is survived by his wife, Patricia, his children Brent Jr., David (Holly), Emily (Jeff), Francine (Shawn), and Gwen (Timothy), and his grandchildren, Heather, Jake (Averi), Hunter, Justin (Sweets), Katelyn, Jude, Elizabeth, Audrey, Fiona Emmeline, Patricia Jane, and Morrigan, and his great grandchildren Aiden, Ashtyn, Addison, Teigan, and Jackson.

A viewing will be held from 6pm-8pm on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 325 East 500 North, Heber City, Utah. A viewing will also be held at the same building on Thursday, September 21, 2023, from 9:30am-10:30am followed by the funeral services at 11am.

The funeral service will be streamed live at https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/92699/hash:EA430F2629C4BC66 and will be available for viewing afterward as well for three months.

In lieu of flowers Brent would love that donations be made to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.