Byron Gassman

Byron Walter Gassman, loving parent, professor, and longtime resident of Orem, passed away May 17, 2015. He was born June 24, 1929, in Ephraim, Utah, the oldest of three children born to Walter Edward and Alta Thompson Gassman. After the unexpected death of Byron's father in 1936, Byron's mother moved her young family from Lovell, Wyoming, to Ephraim, where Byron spent the rest of his childhood and adolescence. Upon graduating from Snow High School, he enrolled at Snow College in Ephraim, where he actively participated in the music and theater programs and where he met Renee Jones. After graduating from Snow College, Byron served as an LDS missionary in the Western States Mission, serving in Iowa and Colorado. When he returned, he enrolled at Brigham Young University for a year until he was drafted into the Army. He served for two years in Germany during the Korean War. He then returned to BYU, graduating in 1955 with a degree in English. Byron and Renee were married September 3, 1955, in the Manti Temple. Shortly thereafter, they left for Chicago and where he received his PhD in 1960. He, Renee, and their family then moved back to Utah, where Byron accepted a teaching position (specializing in neoclassical literature) in the English Department at BYU, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. Music and theater were especially important to Byron. He and Renee had season tickets to the Utah Opera and made yearly pilgrimages to both the Utah Shakespearean Festival and the Utah Opera Festival. They were also able to attend the Bayreuth Festival in Germany and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. For many years, he wrote the program notes for the Utah Valley Symphony. Throughout his life, he was a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a strong testimony of the gospel and families. He was very proud of his pioneer heritage. He served in many callings, including bishopric counselor, branch president, and missionary with Renee in Ningbo, China. In his later years, he and Renee served as ushers on Temple Square and as temple workers in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. Renee preceded him death in January 2012. He is survived by his brother John (Merrilin) Gassman, seven children: Ruth (Chris) Boswell, Bruce (Pamela), Kent (Melinda), Deon (Jeffrey) Leavy, Jay (Tammy), Paul (Amy), and Heidi (Chris) Yates. He is also survived by thirty grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at the Sunset Heights 4th Ward Chapel located at 500 South 600 West in Orem. A visitation will be held from 6:00p.m.-8:00p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at Sundberg-Olpin Funeral Home located at 495 South State Street in Orem and again on Wednesday at the ward chapel One hour prior to the services. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the LDS General Missionary Fund.

---