Otis Huntington Willoughby III

Otis Huntington Willoughby III

1959 ~ 2024

Otis Huntington Willoughby, III Our dear husband, father, brother, uncle, nephew and friend passed away the morning of June 29, 2024 at the age of 65 at American Fork Hospital of a pulmonary embolism after having had surgery the previous day.

He was born on April 18, 1959 to Otis Huntington Willoughby and Zella Irene Smith in Boulder, Colorado. Hunt enjoyed growing up in Boulder where his love for the outdoors began. He learned to work hard and play hard during his summers as a boy by mowing lawns in the morning and then going to the pool with his best friend Joey Sheely in the afternoons. He graduated from Fairview High School in Boulder and then worked for a year to pay for his two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Frankfurt, Germany. After his mission, he attended Brigham Young University where he earned Bachelor’s degrees in Geology and German and later a Master’s degree in Geology. He then went to work for the State of Utah in the Department of Environmental Quality where his primary responsibility was oversight of Energy Solutions and the disposal of hazardous waste and low-level radioactive waste. He worked there for 34 years.

While at BYU he met and married Aniva Rose Aldridge on August 23, 1984 in the Cardston Alberta Canada Temple. They became parents to two children.

Hunt loved to go on adventures and road trips. Early, in his marriage he worked summers as a guide on white water rafting trips through the Grand Canyon and on one trip was filmed for an episode of Nova called Rafting Through the Grand Canyon. He loved the geology of the Grand Canyon. He made three trips to Nepal for hiking and sight-seeing and he loved his time in the Himalayas. He liked to spend time hiking mountain trails in Utah, mountain biking, road biking, fishing, going to National Parks, reading, cross word puzzles, sudoku, watching Jeopardy and spending time doing wood working in his basement wood shop. Together with his neighbor, Orrin Olsen they made 791 wooden canes that they sold, donated to charity fund raisers and gave away, this included the cane carried by President Gordon B. Hinckley. Hunt also loved watching videos of people building boats and at the time of his death was building a 14’ skin-on frame sailboat in his shop. He also influenced many boys through activities and camp outs done as a Scout leader.

Hunt was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and enjoyed serving his neighbors and community. He began his community service on the Planning Commission for Alpine City in 1991. He was later elected to City Council and then Mayor. In total he spent 21 years serving the City of Alpine, 12 of those years he was Mayor. Among other accomplishments made during his time as Mayor was the establishment of Creekside Park, which now serves as the venue for many Alpine Days events.

He also served as the Chairman of the Board for the North Utah County Water Conservancy District and worked closely on the rebuilding of the Silver Lake Flats and the Tibble Reservoir water dams. He enjoyed his association with the other members of the board and those who worked for the North Utah County Water Conservancy District.

He was a man of humor, intellect, and had a generous spirit. He will be truly missed. We will see him on the other side.

Hunt is preceded in death by his father, Otis Huntington Willoughby. He is survived by this wife, Aniva Rose Aldridge Willoughby, and his two children, Melia Brianne Willoughby (John Richard Harte Maycock) and Otis Huntington Willoughby, IV. He is also survived by his mother Zella Irene Smith Willoughby, two sisters Laurel Kathleen Willoughby Oaks (Barton) and Heather Alane Willoughby and cousin Hilary Walton Borison (Adam) who he loved like another sister.

Funeral services for Hunt will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2024 at 11:00 am at the Alpine Stake Center Chapel, located at 98 East Canyon Crest Road, Alpine, UT 84004. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Friday evening from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Warenski Funeral Home, 1776 North 900 East, American Fork, Utah 84003, and also at an additional viewing on Saturday morning from 9:30-10:30 am prior to services at the church. Graveside services will follow the funeral on the North side of the Alpine City Cemetery.