Here is Garth’s Father’s obituary:
Washington, Utah – Quentin Alexander Nisson, 98, passed away peacefully on December 24, 2016. He was born on August 10, 1918 to Clara Reece Alexander Nisson and Edward Sandberg Nisson. He was the fourth child in a family of six. The schools he attended and graduated from were Washington Elementary, Dixie High School, Dixie College, and BYU where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1941 with a major in history. In November of that same year he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He spent four years in the anti-aircraft division with over two years of that time spent overseas, in England, Belgium, France and Germany.
After returning home from his military service, he married Gwendolyn Betty Turner on December 26, 1945. The temple was closed at that time so they were married in the old rock church in Washington and in March of 1946 were sealed in the temple. To their union came five children.
Quentin and Gwen purchased the Washington Mercantile in February 1946. He enlarged and remodeled the building three times. He helped two if his sons and a son-in-law in building the new Nisson’s Foodtown which opened in 1985. Quentin sand Gwen changed the old Mercantile into a V & S variety store where you could find almost anything. Besides managing his business, Quentin devoted much of his time to public and church services. He chaired the Washington City Centennial celebration in 1957 and later as Bishop headed up the fund-raising committee for remodeling the old and building the new main street chapel. This was a humbling time for Dad as he watched the ward members unite together and happily give of their time, labors, and money towards this project.
Quentin was Major of Washington for 14 years (1950-1964). During this time the city park was established, a street lighting system was put in, the water systems upgraded, and city streets and the cemetery were improved.
Quentin has always loved the piano. He took some lessons when he was younger but always went back to playing by ear as it seemed to come naturally to him. His talent has become legendary and he has played for countless events including weekly senior citizen dances, weddings, funerals, anniversaries, church and other programs. He has enjoyed playing in bands with many talented musicians throughout the years. In 1950 he took charge of keeping the early morning serenade tradition going for the 4th and 24th of July celebrations in Washington. In 1956 he was invited as Major to visit the Nevada Testing Site to witness and film the explosion of an atomic bomb. As a result of this, portions if this film have been used by ABC and other news organizations for documentaries about down-winders.
Quentin was a member of the Dixie Medical Center Planning Board, the St. George Rotary Club, Zions Bank Board of Directors and charter member of the Washington Lion’s Club. He received the gold Medallion of Service award at SUU in 1992. He also received Senior Businessman’s Award of the year in 1985 by the St. George Chamber of Commerce and was honored to be the Washington County Fair’s Grand Marshall in 1995.
As a life-long member of the LDS Church, Dad had a deep faith in Our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ and he served in many callings including Bishop and High Councilman.
Dad had a keen and curious mind and was interested in every theory pertaining to man and the universe. He especially enjoyed any kind of history, geology, weather reports and records, watching news, reading the newspaper daily and talking about politics. He was totally devoted to the Dixie area, its history and culture and to Washington City. He was especially proud of his pioneer heritage and the struggles and tragedies of the early Dixie pioneers who settled the area. Dad valued everyone’s opinions and was very tolerant and understanding of people. We think he probably lived by Will Rogers’ famous quote “I never met a man I didn’t like.” Working in the store gave Dad and each family member that worked with him the chance to learn from and enjoy friendships with so many wonderful employees and customers over the years which in turn have blessed and enriched our lives immensely and we wish to say “Thank You” to you all.
The family would like to thank Applegate Home Health and Hospice for the loving care and kindness extended to Dad and our family this past year.
Quentin is survived by his children: Robert (Joanne) Nisson, Garth (Odette) Nisson, June (Arshal) Bowler, Mareli (Terrill) Clove and Kelvin (Betty) Nisson; 25 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and sister, Roma Morris. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gwen; grandson, Kyle; and siblings: Gwennie, Clark, Darrell and Ralph.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 31, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at the Washington LDS 4th Ward (Main Street) Chapel, 82 North Main, Washington City, Utah. Visitations will be held Friday, December 30th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Metcalf Mortuary, 288 West St. George Blvd, St. George, Utah, Saturday, and prior to services, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the church. Interment will be at the Washington City Cemetery Utah.
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Here is the obituary for Garth’s mother:
Washington, UT – Gwendolyn Betty Turner Nisson, age 93, passed away peacefully at home on March 2, 2014. She was born October 25, 1920 in Washington, Utah to James E. Jackson Turner and Pearl V. Stucki Tobler. She married Quentin Alexander Nisson on December 26, 1945 at the old rock church in Washington. They were sealed in the St. George Temple on March 20, 1946. Mom lived her entire life in Washington attending school there through the eighth grade and then Dixie High School and Dixie College in St. George. She later attended BYU where she earned a degree in elementary education. Being the firstborn in a family of 9 children, Mom was relied on heavily by her parents to help with all the farming, gardening, and household duties. Also, she took every opportunity to earn extra money to help ease the family’s financial burden and to be able to go to college. Mom suffered great tragedy in her young life, losing a baby sister to illness and the brother and sister closest to her age in vehicle related accidents. Dad and Mom bought the store in Washington soon after their marriage and Mom spent the next 60 plus years working in the business and performing every task necessary to help keep the Washington Mercantile going. When Dad served as Bishop, funds needed to be raised for the building of a new chapel. Mom supported this effort in every way she could from baking pies and rolls to helping with the chuck wagon and dinner committees. She also supported Dad through the 14 years he served as Mayor. Mom loved music and encouraged her children in all their musical endeavors. She was a lifelong learner and promoter of education believing it would broaden our view of the world and make for a richer life. Mom was a wonderful cook and enjoyed keeping everyone well fed and also liked making clothing and quilts for her family. Mom was an eternal optimist and she believed in the “Golden Rule” and lived by it. Throughout her life she worked to create beauty in any little spot she could find. She loved roses and flowers of every kind, gardening and working the soil. Mom’s greatest joys were found in home and family and she looked for the good in all people. She was always quick to hand out an encouraging word and a remedy for any ailment. Mom served in many callings in the LDS Church throughout her life. She was a stake missionary and served in the stake primary and relief society as well as many ward callings. She especially enjoyed singing in the ward choirs and being a visiting teacher. Gwen is survived by her husband Quentin, sons: Robert A. (Joanne) Nisson, Garth E. (Odette) Nisson and daughters: June (Arshal) Bowler and Mareli (Terrill) Clove all of Washington, and son: Dr. Kelvin Q. (Betty) Nisson of St. George. She has 26 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. Gwen is also survived by her brothers: Rhaldo (Cindy) Turner, Jim (Lorene) Turner, Jerald (Lena) Turner and one sister: Yvonne Kendall. She was preceded in death by her brother Gar and sisters, Beverly, Kathy and Coleen, sister-in-law: Doris Turner (Rhaldo) and brothers-in-law: Britt Kendall and Herb Bentley. The family would like to express thanks to Applegate Homehealth and Hospice for the tender care given to our dear wife and mother during these past difficult weeks. We would also like to thank Dr. Clark Staheli for his recent kind assistance. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, March 8, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. at the Washington LDS 4th Ward Chapel, 82 N. Main Street, Washington, Utah. A visitation will be held Saturday, March 8th from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Washington City Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Metcalf Mortuary, 435-673-4221. For condolences, full obituary, and funeral listings please visit our website www.metcalfmortuary.com.