December 10, 1932 – July 20, 2020 (age 87)
Paul Willard Conrad passed away on July 20, 2020 in Orem, Utah. He was born December 10, 1932, the second son of Charles Elwood Conrad and Alice Margaret Peterson. They lived on the family homestead, fondly referred to as the Ranch, in the south fork of Provo Canyon. He had a special love for life and work at the Ranch.
He married his high school sweetheart, Inez “Maxine” Muhlestien in 1952 in the Salt Lake Temple and later joined the U.S. Army. After Basic Training he was assigned to the Red Diamond Men’s Chorus and they performed throughout Germany. Maxine was able to join him in Germany.
When they returned to Provo, he began his studies at Brigham Young University and they started to raise a family. He graduated from BYU in 1962 with a Master’s Degree in Range Management. He then began work with the U.S. Forest Service. During his career he worked to manage the forests in the Wasatch, Uintah, Cache, Lolo, and Flathead National Forests. He also worked at the Region 1 Regional Office in Missoula Montana. He retired from the Flathead National Forest in 1992.
Paul and Maxine moved to Logan, Utah in 1965, to Missoula, Montana in 1971, and to Kalispell, Montana in 1976. He was an exceptional example of dedication to working hard and making their homes beautiful and bountiful. Together they raised legendary gardens to provide food for family and neighbors, and beautiful yards at each of their homes. He enjoyed being outdoors and taking the family camping and fishing.
After Maxine’s passing, he married Pat Williams Smith in 1991 in the Jordan River Temple. They lived in Kalispell, Montana until he retired, then they moved to Provo, Utah. They remodeled the family homestead at the Ranch where they lived until 2015. Since then their home has been in Orem.
One of their favorite activities in the fall was using the apple press to make apple juice. Family and friends would bring their own apples to combine with those harvested from the trees at the Ranch. After the juice was extracted it was steamed and bottled to enjoy throughout the year. His love of gardening and wood projects was never ending. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.
Paul was a hard worker and was always busy helping others. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.
He was always active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Besides always singing with the choir, he served in many callings: Elder’s Quorum president, counselor to the Bishop, as a Bishop, and as a counselor to the Stake President. He and Pat served as service missionaries and in the Provo Temple for several years.
He is survived by his wife, Pat; sister, Mary “Lois” Nelson; children: Pauline (Phil) Low, Michelle Conrad, Mark (Rosario) Conrad, Melanie (Todd) Marrott, and Shawn (Kim) Conrad; step-children: Allen (Roxanne) Smith, Gary (Laurie) Smith and Melissa Smith; 30 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Maxine; brother, Don Elwood Conrad, and step-son, Scott Smith.
With respect to the COVID-19 restrictions, funeral services will be held by invitation at 11:00am, Saturday, July 25, 2020 at Berg Mortuary in Provo, Utah, with a viewing held prior. Interment will be in the Provo City Cemetery.
To view the video recording of the services please visit the Berg Mortuary website here. A live stream can be accessed on the Facebook, PWC Family group page. We encourage all who visit Facebook to post pictures, memories and comments.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at Berg Mortuary.