Kevin Arthur Hartshorn
Kevin Arthur Hartshorn
1960 ~ 2023
After a valiant and vibrant life, Kevin Arthur Hartshorn was called to return to his heavenly home October 3, 2023. As the first child of Joann E. Hartshorn and Wallace A Hartshorn, Kevin was born on a beautiful fall day, Wednesday, October 26, 1960. At the time of his birth, his father, Wally, who was serving on active duty in the Coast Guard was far from home aboard the ship, the North Star—an icebreaker on an expedition in the frozen waters of the arctic. When his father returned, it was a delightful reunion of mother, father, and their newborn son.
Kevin came into the world at a time when many in society experienced a difficult transition from the core values of the 1950s to a variety of social changes that would emerge in the 1960s. Despite societal upheaval, after his birth, Kevin’s parents found and enthusiastically embraced membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This provided Kevin with a steadfast anchor to guide and protect him through all the stormy waters of life. He was always eager to share his witness that Jesus is the Christ and that the Savior’s church had been restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith. This was his testimony to family, friend, and stranger alike, until his last breath.
As a young man, Kevin enjoyed and excelled at wrestling and martial arts. Much to the distress and chagrin of his younger siblings, Kevin often tried new wrestling moves and karate blows on them even when they would have much preferred to be passive observers as he broke boards and bricks. This paid off as he became a 5th degree black belt and was an excellent volunteer teacher at a local martial arts studio. He also excelled in singing and dancing, bursting onto the disco scene with moves that could rival or exceed those of John Travolta. He especially enjoyed dancing with his sister, Eve—together they were an impressive award-winning couple on the dance floor.
Kevin served diligently as a missionary in the Japan, Kobe Mission (1979-1981) and had many opportunities to work with companions who benefited from his testimony and mentoring. He continued to remember and use the language with many Japanese people who crossed his path throughout his life, including during his later service giving tours of the Church’s conference center in Salt Lake City.
Kevin was blessed with a brilliant mind. He was an avid reader and loved learning. He regularly studied a wide variety of topics and delved deeply into areas of interest and concern. Kevin lived with high expectations for himself, and he is remembered for exceptional success in his work and in his efforts to help others succeed. He often sought and found an appropriate and compassionate balance between striving to help others become self-reliant and being extremely generous with his resources to help those in need.
One of his friends and business associates said of him, “I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about him. He was a proponent of goodwill to humankind. He was a passionate warrior in his beliefs.” He was an entrepreneur extraordinaire and there wasn’t a time when he wasn’t engaged in some entrepreneurial project. Kevin was passionate in serving his fellowmen and ran a charitable service organization that involved him in many humanitarian projects that led him to worldwide travel including Guinea, West Africa and Dominica.
He loved his family and enjoyed spending time with them. He was emphatic about going on weekly dates with his wife, Lasha. They looked forward to dinner out, dancing, seeing a play, movie, or concert and just spending time together. He passionately integrated his hobbies into his family life by doing many of the things he loved with his wife and children; playing the ukulele, cooking with them and for them, playing board games, especially chess and monopoly, teaching martial arts, reading books to them, going on fun trips and adventures, supporting them in their talents and hobbies (as anyone who went to an ultimate frisbee game could vouch for) and most importantly imparting the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even throughout his battle with cancer, Kevin was very thankful to his Heavenly Father for the life he had been blessed with.
Kevin was preceded in death by his parents Wallace and Joann Hartshorn and is survived by his beloved wife, Lasha, and his cherished children Michael, Rayne, Christian (Julia), Amantha, Amber (Louis), Calleb, Colin (Jessica), Rebekah, and Alexandria. He was so thankful to meet his grandson, Theo (Christian & Julia), and his granddaughter, Adelaide (Amber & Louis).
Funeral services for Kevin will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 11:00 am in the Parkway 7th Ward Chapel, located at 2876 West 1390 North, Provo, Utah. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Saturday morning from 9:30-10:30 am prior to services at the Parkway 7th Ward Chapel.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Celebration of Life for Kevin Hartshorn has been canceled for this year, and tentatively scheduled for next year, October 26, 2024.
We hope you are able to cancel and rearrange any travel arrangements that have made and we apologize for any inconvenience that has caused.