Kenneth Charles Embley passed away after tender goodbyes from family members on November 5, 2021. Ken was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to Wayne R and Barbara Calder Embley on March 11, 1949. He is a graduate of South High and the University of Utah. He married Julyn Rasmussen in 1978 in the Salt Lake Temple. They made their home in Sandy. For the next 40-plus years they worked side by side to celebrate, chauffeur, coach, educate, challenge, spoil, and love their family.

Dad loved being with us in the mountains. There were numerous sunset hikes to Grandeur Peak to watch the city lights twinkle into view, with a hike down by the light of the full moon. He loved the annual Father's Day picnic with a "really blackened hot dog" in Millcreek Canyon. A run on Quarry Trail was a favorite.

We had newspaper routes to run each morning and Dad would meticulously sweep any moisture out of the garage so we had a dry workspace. He gave us rein to handle our job but would roll out of bed to drive us when the snow was up to the sprockets. The number of our musical performances Dad attended would be difficult to count. He loved every note and made sure we knew it.

During high school, dad began working at Dee's Hamburgers. If his superiors had known how fast he drove his Oldsmobile 442 on those 2 AM bank runs, he might not have been promoted so quickly. Once into management, he discovered that he had an aptitude for human resources and began developing a career around that discipline. He earned bachelor's degrees in management at his beloved University of Utah. He performed personnel management and development work in several industries. Later, he became a research associate and adjunct professor in the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Utah training leaders and managers in all kinds of organizations.
Dad encouraged academic achievement by speaking often about education at home and by taking us to events like the University of Utah Young Alumni Day using phrases like, "When you come to school here…" Following his lead and counsel, all three of his children and their spouses are college graduates, having earned a combined six bachelor's degrees and three master's degrees--all from the University of Utah.

Dad loved sports, especially the Utes, The Jazz, and The Yankees. He coached and supported each of us. Any day on the ball field was a good day. In later years as we put our bats and gloves away, he took up umpiring. He spent many tournaments on the ball field with his sons as his umpiring partners. He had hoped to umpire for years to come but dementia took that from him. As the grandchildren picked up the bats and instruments, he was right there on the front row cheering them on. He was so proud of their accomplishments.

While he was known to occasionally wear sunglasses in Sacrament meeting, Dad taught us the gospel through life lessons. He taught us to take care of what we had been given in everything from mowing the lawn and shoveling snow to picking up trash at a campsite or on the trail. Dad always explained to his hiking companions that the mountain will give her treasures to anyone who will pay the price of individual effort. He regularly praised and testified of the beauty and grandeur of God's creations even if he would wince a little hearing it phrased in that way.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents and survived by his wife Julyn, siblings David (Ann) and Marsha (Gary Hayes), children Bryan (Julie), Christine (Jeremiah Breeze), and Scott, and grandchildren Daniel, Megan, Sam, Haylee, Jacob, Taylor, and Anna. Per his wishes, Ken will be honored by close family in a brief graveside service in Lehi City Cemetery.
Go Utes!