Texal "Tex" Searle

Texal Elijah Searle passed away February 13, 2021, in Sandy, Utah. He was born March 25, 1927, in Delta, Utah, to Charles D. and Ruth Maxfield Searle, the youngest of ten children. Tex married Esther Knight in the Salt Lake temple on October 18, 1950.  They had four children.  After Esther died in 2010, he married Mary Gwen Holdaway. She passed away in early 2013.

Tex grew up on the family farm in Delta. At age 17, he joined the US Navy and served onboard the aircraft carrier, USS Antietam.  After the war, he farmed in Delta and was part owner and operator of the Bell Hill Mine in Juab County, where they mined fluorspar. Tex began working for the original Frontier Airlines in 1956 and flew for them for nearly 30 years, retiring in 1985. He wrote and published a book, “The Golden Age of Flying”, which was a collection of stories from pilots about the early days of Frontier Airlines.

Tex loved to fly, enjoyed hunting and fishing at Fish Lake, prospecting in the west desert, playing the piano, and practical jokes.  He relished spending time with his family and his grandchildren.  He often put on his old man mask, squawked his hearing aid, burst out in song, or told stories just to amuse or scare his grandkids. He cooked delicious barbecue.

He is survived by his children, Doug (Mona) Searle, Vicki Haight, Shawn (Ariane) Searle, ten grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren, and sister, Nedra Robison.  Preceded in death by his wife, Esther, his wife, Mary Gwen, his close friend, Dora Hill, and his son, Kevin Searle.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Kirsten Searle for all the time she spent caring for Tex. We would also like to thank the staff at Cedarwood for their kindness towards him.  Tex enjoyed living there and the friendships he made.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 11:00 am at Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary, 495 South State Street in Orem, with a viewing from 10:00-10:45 am prior to the services. Interment will be in the Eastlawn Memorial Hills Cemetery.

Services recorded on Facebook live can be found HERE

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.