Phillip Kresge

Phillip Eugene Kresge, of Orem, Utah, passed away early Sunday morning, July 31, 2016 at the age of 79 due to complications after surgery.

Phil and his twin sister, Phyllis, were born in Elmira, New York, July 16, 1937 to Bert and Margaret Kresge. He spent his mischievous youth in upstate New York with his rambunctious siblings and crazy cousins swimming, camping, boating and enjoying life to the fullest. He was an outstanding wrestler in high school, and earned scholarships to multiple colleges, but turned them down to attend BYU. After wrestling as a walk-on at BYU, they granted him a scholarship too. After college, while living in Provo, he met Mattie Lou Spendlove, the beautiful woman who would later become his wife of 50 years. They were married on December 15, 1965 and were sealed in the Manti, Utah temple. Together they raised four children, Loucinda, Katie (Lloyd Thornton), Jared and Josh (Charity Miller). They have six grandchildren and two granddoggies.

Phil was a lifelong truck driver, and probably the only one who showed up to work everyday in pressed slacks and a button-up shirt. Nothing made him happier than getting behind the wheel of a big rig and truckin’ down the highway. He was a gifted teacher. He spent the last 40 years of his career teaching professional truck driving at UVU (back when it was the UTC, UVCC and UVSC), and at the Mountainland Applied Technology College (MATC), as well as working as a Safety and Human Resources Coordinator for Staker Parson Companies. Although he spent most of his time teaching, his passion for driving often put him behind the wheel of dump trucks, loaders, semis and buses as he worked extra jobs to support his family. Throughout his career, his cheerful nature and jovial sense of humor endeared him to others and earned him many lifelong friends. He was always a jokester and kid at heart.

Not only did he use his gift for teaching to put people on the path to a career, He also used his gift for teaching to put people on the path to God as he blessed the lives of  his community and family as a faithful Latter-Day Saint. He loved to serve his Heavenly Father in any capacity to which he was called, his most recent callings being in the Cub Scout Program and as an Temple Worker at the Provo Temple. His steadfast testimony was evidenced in the way he lived his life; always giving, always helping.

Funeral services will be held August 6, 2016 at 11:00 am at the LDS chapel on the corner of 400 east and 400 north in Orem, Utah. Viewings will be held Friday, August 5, 2016, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Sundberg Olpin Mortuary, 495 south State Street, Orem, Utah, and Saturday, August 6, 2016 from 9:30 am to 10:30 am at the aforementioned LDS chapel.