John Sanches

John Sanches passed away at his home in Orem on Monday, September 5, 2022, at the age of 83.

He was born in São Paulo, Brazil on October 26, 1938, to Antonio Sanches-Lizarte and Francisca Corso.  He was the 2nd of 3 children.  He had an older brother Antonio and a younger sister Nair.  When he was 12, his mother hired a local well-known artist to give him art lessons. That began his lifelong love of painting.

John joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on August 4, 1956, at the age of 17.  In 1958, his parents and sister moved to Ogden, UT to start a new life and be close to a temple.  John and his brother stayed in Brazil, where they were both called to serve a mission in their home country.  He joined his family in Ogden after his mission, where they were all sealed in the Logan Temple on April 13, 1960.  Next, they moved to a new area in Ogden and his Bishop asked if he would like to serve a mission, not knowing that John had already served.  John happily accepted because he loved being a missionary.  He was called to serve in the West Spanish American Mission, where he learned English and Spanish in addition to his native Portuguese.

His family then moved to Los Angeles, California to be in warmer weather for his mother’s health.  He married Angie Rivera on November 18, 1966, in the Los Angeles temple. He was employed by JC Penney as a display manager, where he used his artistic eye to make window and store displays.  Next, he attended travel school because he loved to travel. Because he spoke Spanish, English and Portuguese, he was then hired by a Brazilian airline called Varig, where he worked for 10 years as a supervisor. His first trip was to Japan and then to Hawaii.  He traveled with his family all over the world, including all countries in Central and South America, and all over Europe.  John continued his career working for Western Airlines and eventually retiring from Delta Air Lines after 22 years.

He took a few art classes at the community college and spent much of his free time with a paintbrush in his hand.  One of his first big projects was a very large oil painting of Jesus coming to America that he donated to the East Los Angeles Stake Center.  He often painted portraits and landscapes to give to family and friends.  He donated many pieces of art to the LDS Church headquarters.  After he retired, he taught Art lessons in Orem until he couldn’t drive anymore.

John’s missionary service in the Church continued throughout his life. After he retired, he and Angie served a mission together for 18 months in Bogotá, Colombia, helping spread the gospel and helping with the Perpetual Education Fund.  His fourth and final mission was to Santiago, Chile, for 6 months.  His legacy has continued through his posterity, with his sons and many of his grandchildren spreading the gospel throughout the world. John’s granddaughter, Taya Sanches, is currently serving a mission in Costa Rica.

John is survived by his wife of almost 56 years, Angie Sanches; his sister, Nair (David) Fronk of Orem, Utah; his 3 children: Leslie (Brendan) Smith of Lehi, Utah; Ed (Maria) Sanches of Cedar Hills, Utah; Carlos (Julie) Sanches of Santa Clarita, CA; 10 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren, with one more on the way. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother.

A viewing for family and friends will be held on Thursday, September 8th at Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. located at 495 South State St. Orem, followed by a funeral at 11:00 a.m. at the same location. Burial will be at the Orem City Cemetery.

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.