Vista Funerals and Cremations - St. George

05/14/2026

We have some exciting news! We are now Vista Funerals and Cremations. We are excited to continue serving St. George and Washington counties!

02/21/2026

JR Shults

JR Shults, Father, Brother, and Friend, passed away far too soon, on February 13th, 2026, at the age of 44.

JR was born on October 20th, 1981 to Duane J. and Pauline Rose Luster Shults. A native of St. george, JR attended Dixie High School and later Dixie College. He carried with him the determination and work ethic that would define much of his life. A local businessman with natural leadershp ability, he founded two successful moving companies, building them from the ground up through hard work, determination, vision, and his ability to connect with people.

More important than any business success, JR had two beautiful families. He was first married to Alyson Ford, and later married Jessica Medina. His greatest joy and proudest accomplishment was being a father. He loved his children deeply - Hayden, Nolan, Dawson, Truett, and Tucker - and was endlessly proud of each of them. He cherished his family and loved being part of their lives.

JR was sensitive and had the heart of an artist, he was creative and good with his hands. He could fix anything from rebuilding an engine to welding to drawing, he could do it all. He loved wakeboarding, baseball, and motorcycles. His prized possession was his 1969 Ford Bronco. As a young man JR loved to travel, he explored Fiji, Austrailia, Peru, Mexico, and many other countries.

Those who knew JR will remember his excellent sense of humor, his generous heart, and his ability to light up a room. He had a way of cracking everyone up, and his laughter was contagious, his comedic timing impeccable, and his presence unforgettable. Everyone who knew him loved him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Duane J. Shults and Pauline Rose Luster Shults. He is survived by his children (listed above) and his siblings, Scott Hughes of Nevada, Jolynn Shults of Colorado, and Susie Love House of Utah. He is also survived by many extended family members and friends who already miss him deeply.

A viewing will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026 from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Desert Canyons Ward Chapel. 3891 Desert Canyons Parkway, St. George, Utah 84790

An education fund will be created for JR’s children. If you feel moved to do so, contributions toward their future education would be a meaningful way to honor JR’s life and legacy. Donations can be made to his sister Jolynn in the meantime using this link: venmo.com/u/Jolynn-Shults

Arrangements were made under the direction of AFC Funeral Home. 35-680-7035. You are also invited to share memories on JR's digital memorial page at www.AFCFuneralHome.com.

If you or someone you know has a mental health crisis, confidential help is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988, the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline, or by visiting 988lifeline.org

View James Ralph Shults's obituary, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

01/16/2026

Lavar Noel Rigby

Lavar Noel Rigby, 87, passed away peacefully at his home on January 14, 2026 in St. George, Utah. He was born April 19, 1938 in Brigham City, Utah to Rowland Lavar and Mary Noel Rigby. Lavar is the fourth of six children: Donna Rae Askin (deceased), Julia Braithwaite (Tucson, AZ), Maurine Roberts (deceased), Charles (Cave Junction, OR), and Marietta Rigby (St. George, UT).

Lavar grew up in Brigham City, Utah. The family was very conservative and never wasted anything, especially food. He remembers they ate from their fruit trees and garden and things that his Mom canned. The basement was filled with canned fruit and vegetables. Lavar learned the value of hard work and milked two cows morning and evening. In the evenings they would have homemade bread and milk, and sometimes his Mom would put applesauce with a little cinnamon on top and call it applesauce delight for a special treat.

Lavar loved playing outside with his friends, and sometimes would just roam the countryside. Sometimes he would take his favorite horse Jumper and ride all over the mountains to find wonderful hidden things like waterfalls, deer, jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, and pheasants. Lavar loved to be in nature and loved to explore. Growing up he had plenty of work to do on the farm. In the summer he picked fruit (cherries, plums, apricots, and peaches), hauled hay, milked cows, and took the cows to the pasture.

Lavar liked going to school and learning everything. Science, math, geography and history were his favorite subjects. Lavar liked to read as a child, especially in the winters, and continued to enjoy reading throughout his life. In high school Lavar played baseball, ran track, wrestled, but his favorite sport was playing football.

Lavar was always one to make plans for the future. He would think about what to major in while attending college, about going on a mission, and about getting married. The first time he saw Lynette was when he was at church sitting on the stand ready to give his mission homecoming speech from the Great Lakes Mission. During the talk he thought about how he could get to know her. After church Lavar asked Lynette if she was staying for choir? Suddenly she was! The following week Lavar asked Lynette to go to a fireside and afterwards she cut his hair. Lynette has been cutting his hair ever since. They went to the beach and church activities a lot that summer to get to know one another.

Lavar and Lynette both enrolled at Long Beach State College. It was a large university and the campus was spread out, but they found a small tree near the path they both passed in between classes where they left little messages and love notes to each other. Lavar married Lynette in the Los Angeles Temple on June 10, 1961.

Lavar taught Math for three years at Los Angeles Harbor College and most of his teaching career was at Ventura College in Ventura, California. They began their young family in Long Beach and Torrance, CA, but soon moved to Ventura, and later to Ojai, California. He enjoyed working in his garden, tending the chickens, walking on the beach, swimming, traveling, watching BYU football, serving others, and taking care of his family.

Lavar grew up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was an active member. He served faithfully in many callings. He and his wife served a senior mission to the Washington D.C Temple Visitors’ Center.

Lavar is survived by his wife Rose Lynette Rigby, his six children, and a large posterity: Rachelle and Sterling Farr (McMinnville, OR), Kyle and Cathie Rigby (Newport, OR), Ryan and Julie Rigby (Salem, UT), Shauna and Jeff Cardon (Denton, TX), Jana and Dave Lunt (Cedar City, UT), and Dallan and Tiffany Rigby (Atascadero, CA).

Lavar Rigby was very proud of all of his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed visiting with all of his family and seeing how each was growing and developing. When he could, he liked playing with grandkids on the floor, like he did with his own children. His wish for each of us is to be happy and enjoy our time here on earth and take full advantage of all the opportunities we have. Lavar loved his family very much, and he will be dearly missed.

Funeral services will be held on January 24, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building on 82 N Dixie Dr. St. George, UT 84770. There will not be a viewing.

Interment will be in the Salem City Cemetery, Salem, Utah 84653.

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01/13/2026

Nicholas John Janssen

Nicholas Janssen, of Red Wing, Minnesota, passed away on Saturday, December 20th, 2025 at his home in St. George, Utah.

Celebration of life will be on April 26th, 2026 at the Elks Lodge in Red Wing Minnesota, located at 306 West 4th Street, from 12pm - 4pm.

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01/12/2026

Virgil "Jim" Stevenson

Virgil Clifford “Jim” Stevenson, age 98, passed away peacefully on January 8, 2026, in New Harmony, Utah, with family by his side.

Jim was born on September 12, 1927, in Mountain Home, Utah, to Clifford B. and Rayda Louise Jenson Stevenson. He married the love of his life, Helen Sue Ode, on December 26, 1952, in Evanston, Wyoming. Together they shared 73 years of marriage, building a life rooted in faith, hard work, adventure, and deep devotion to family. Jim and Helen were sealed in the Jordan River Temple in 1989.

Jim earned his lifelong nickname as a child when his grandmother Mabel, noticing his bright smile and sunny disposition, remarked that he looked like the “Sunny Jim” apple jelly boy advertisment. From that moment on, he was simply “Jim” to all who knew and loved him.

Jim grew up in a very different world—one without electricity, where Saturday night baths happened “whether you needed one or not.” From an early age, responsibility and work were a way of life. His brothers and grandfather helped establish Stevenson Brothers Trucking, hauling cement and steel pipe to Moon Lake Dam. Jim began driving trucks at just nine years old, and at sixteen he took on his first “official” job hauling cattle to Salt Lake City for auction.

That early start led to a long and respected career as a truck driver. Jim hauled milk from local farms, gravel to protect against floodwaters, hot asphalt, gasoline, and crude oil. He worked for Covey, then Ricci Brothers, and ultimately for Chevron, where he spent 25 years before being promoted to dispatcher. Even after retirement, Jim never truly slowed down. After moving to New Harmony, he maintained his CDL and continued hauling dirt for local construction projects during the summers. He drove his last truck at the age of 84. He drove over 8 million miles with no tickets or accidents.

In 1945, Jim was drafted into the United States Army at Fort Douglas, Utah. He served as a Sergeant in the 2nd Signal Company of the 2nd Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. He was honorably discharged in August 1947 and returned home to Utah. He was honored for his service in the Iron County Honor Flight in 2015.

After retiring from Chevron, Jim continued serving his community as Chairman of the New Harmony Special Service District. He wrote numerous grants for the local fire department and was instrumental in securing funding for the construction of the new firehouse—so much so that Jim’s name proudly appears on the building.

Jim was also a quiet hero in countless unseen ways. Over the course of his life, he donated more than 40 gallons of blood through the Red Cross. He began donating after learning he had O-negative blood while trying to help his younger brother in the hospital. For 66 years, Jim faithfully donated blood five to six times each year, answering countless calls because his blood could help anyone in need.

Jim loved the outdoors and cherished adventure. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and took great joy in teaching his children and grandchildren those skills. Family stories abound—from teaching his children Jimmy and Kathy how to inner-tube on snowy hills when they were just five and six, to countless camping trips filled with laughter, learning, and togetherness. Jim was an incredible teacher, an adventure buddy, and someone who always took the time to help others learn and grow. He was also an accomplished Soduko master – he even did them in pen, which is no easy feat.

Above all else, Jim loved his family. He believed in working hard, being self-reliant, doing what was right, and never doing anything you couldn’t look yourself in the mirror for. Family reunions were sacred to him, and staying connected with loved ones mattered deeply. Many of the best traits carried on through his family—integrity, work ethic, generosity, and love—stem directly from Jim.

Jim was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a strong testimony of the gospel. He was ordained a deacon at age twelve and later served as a counselor in leadership callings, including in the New Harmony Ward bishopric. Jim and Helen served together as temple workers at the Jordan River Temple and the St. George Temple. They also shared a deep love for family history and genealogy, serving as family history consultants for approximately thirteen years and helping locate more than 2,000 relatives.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife, Helen Stevenson; his children, Jolyn Holt and Kathy Stevenson; his brother, Andrew J. Stevenson; eleven grandchildren; and twenty-two great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents; four of his six children, Danny Stevenson, Jimmy Stevenson, Joy Stevenson, and Virginia Stevenson; and his siblings, Jack C. Stevenson, Karen D. Evans, Max B. Stevenson, and Dorothy Hicken.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 16, 2026, at the New Harmony Ward House, 12 Main Street, New Harmony, Utah. A viewing will be held at 10:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m.

Interment will take place at Memorial Estates, Mountain View Cemetery, Cottonwood Heights, Utah.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a humanitarian aid fund in Jim’s honor.

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12/18/2025

Cynthia T. Slater

Cynthia “Cindy” T. Slater, 61, of Hurricane, Utah, passed away surrounded by loved ones on December 13, 2025. Cindy was born on October 21, 1964, in Phoenix, Arizona, the sixth child of Linda Gay Clark. She married the love of her life, Ron W. Slater, on March 16, 1997.

Throughout her life, Cindy was deeply devoted to service and community. She organized a Mothers of Twins convention for the entire state while simultaneously planning her own wedding and working at the Delta Center managing a concession booth. She spent many years in sales and consulting for Crossmark, where she helped stores increase sales and profits.

Cindy generously donated countless hours of time and energy to her beloved hometown of Hurricane. After moving there, she quickly became involved in the Peach Days Committee, serving in multiple positions and helping fellow committee members whenever needed. She also proudly served Hurricane City, the Boy Scouts of America, and many other organizations, always ready to help where she was needed.

Cindy is survived by her loving husband, Ron Slater; her children Shawna (Taylor) Forbes, Shane (Ashley) Slater, Christian (Rachel) Slater, and Ryan (Cora) Slater; her siblings Sam (Cheri) Ortega, Eddie Ortega, Tim (Ella) Ortega, Tina Ortega, and Marinda Ortega; 10 grandchildren, with one more on the way.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Linda Gay Clark, and her grandparents Carlos and Audrey Clark, and Virl and Marla Slater.

Funeral services will be held on December 22nd at the LDS Chapel on 155 E 1050 N, Hurricane, Utah. Public viewing will be from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, with the funeral service beginning at 12:00 p.m. Interment will follow at Hurricane City Cemetery. A luncheon will be held after the graveside service, provided by the Hurricane 8th Ward Relief Society.

The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all who helped and supported them, and especially to the compassionate staff at Intermountain Hospice for the care they provided Cindy in her final days.

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12/01/2025

Dora LaRue Schurter

Dora LaRue Babcock Wymer Schurter passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on November 21st, 2025, at the age of 84. She was born February 10th, 1941 in Myton, Duchesne County, Utah to Earl Lorenzo and Faith Curtis Babcock in their one room home. Faith told Dora that she believed Dora was premature, that her lungs were not fully developed, which led to Dora suffering severe Asthma her whole life. She never let that slow her down and went on to live a full and beautiful life.

Dora grew up in Pleasant Valley, Utah on a farm. She spent many days helping her parents and also enjoyed reading and sunbathing on the hills around her house. She married Richard David Wymer on December 1st, 1961. They had four sons: Ricky D., Eddy Lee, James Earl, and John David.

Her children and family were the focus of her life. She was very generous and welcoming to all she met. Dora had a quick wit and wonderful sense of humor. Dora loved to write poetry, she enjoyed traveling, and especially looking for beautiful rocks and arrowheads. Dora was a gifted quilt-maker and made many beautiful hand sewn, tied or crocheted blankets throughout her life. She found great joy in gifting them to her family. She baked delicious bread, cinnamon rolls and sugar cookies (among other things). She enjoyed working as a medical assistant for many years. Dora went to Dixie College and was able to get her associate degree. She also worked as an ophthalmic technician. Dora loved music, andespecially loved listening to and watching the Nutcracker Ballet.

Later in life, Dora married Karl Alfred Schurter and became a stepmother to his grown children: Rodney, Elaine and John Schurter. Dora and Karl had many wonderful adventures together before he became ill. Dora was an amazing caregiver for Karl through his Alzheimer’s Disease and worked selflessly to ensure his care and wellbeing. Dora was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She served in many capacities such as a Chorister, Primary Leader and a Temple Worker. She loved doing Genealogy. Dora loved all her family unconditionally and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Dora was preceded in death by her parents Earl and Faith Babcock, her sisters Erma and Vonda, her brothers Earl, Arthur, John, and LeRoy Babcock, her husband Karl A.Schurter, and her daughter-in-law Holly A. Mcnett Wymer.

Funeral Services will be held Friday December 5th, 2025 at the L.D.S. Church located at : 2079 East 2450 South St. George Utah 84790. Viewing will be from 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Funeral will be from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Interment will be at the Veyo City Cemetery, Washington County, Utah from 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.

Flowers may be sent in care of Dora Schurter to: Affordable Funerals & Cremations 157 E Riverside Drive St. George, Utah 84790www.AFCFuneralHome.com

Memorial Contributions may be made in memory of Dora Schurter to Memory Matters Utah 168 North 100 East #104, St. George, Utah. www.memorymattersutah.org (This organization helps both the person who has memory problems, and the caregiver of that person. It was a great help to both Dora and her spouse Karl.)

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11/06/2025

Thomas Glenn Smith

Born in 1962 to a considerate young mother he would never meet, little Tommy was fondly adopted by affectionate parents of San Mateo, California. Glenn Pearman Smith, World War II veteran/ college chancellor, and Kathleen Hudson Smith, school teacher, welcomedTom into their family.

As a boy summering at a local Christian camp, Tom asked Jesus into his heart and life. The forest staged his youth with reveled hunting trips and woodsman's craft alongside his beloved "Unc" Rans Pearman. During school, he passionately played football and competed in wrestling. In May 1980, his senior year, Tom, at 17, opted to quit high school and join the Army because his teachers “didn’t know what they were talking about.”

At Fort Benning, Georgia, Tom earned his jump wings. A paratrooper with Troop B, 1st Squadron (Air), 17th Cavalry, Tom was an “All American” in the 82nd Airborne Division of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He placed first in the Forscom commander’s company level marksmanship competition at Bragg, spent time at Ft. Knox, KY, and Ft. Lee, VA, finished jungle warfare school at Ft. Sherman, Panama, and volunteered as a test subject for the U.S.Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, MA. “Smitty” received sergeant stripes in 1981. The God-given gift of the USA always weighed heavily as a true duty in Tom’s heart.

Between the wars of the early '80s, Tom made the difficult decision to leave the Army in order to study. He worked on his undergraduate degree at San Mateo Community College. Then he chose Boise, Idaho, for school, where he married and welcomed his first child, a strong son. Graduating from Boise State University, Tom completed a Micro MBA in Business Administration and a Master of Arts degree in British Literature. His thesis penned accolades to the timeless classic of Jane Austen.

As a young divorcee in 1991, Tom met and married his lovely wife, Pamela Kay Davis. Together, they welcomed three daughters. He moved the family to Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1999 for a job in software. While living in] the East, many trips were taken to historical battlefields and presidents’ homes, treasuring American history.

In 2003, desiring to be near his retiring parents, Tom headed back across country to Medford, Oregon. There, he started his business, Clear-Work. He was a successful organizational development consultant for many local and national organizations, thriving in connecting people to breakthroughs. When the recession hit, Tom started to shift to more of a home life: woodworking, gunsmithing, and raising girls. One of his greatest accomplishments was reading the Bible cover to cover aloud to his children. He always read and studied avidly to come at a topic with depth.

Slowly, various ailments burdened Tom, and in his true cowboy character, he gritted through. During his quiet moments, he would pray for friends or often for strangers. His health struggles led to a cancer diagnosis in 2023, shortly after relocating to the stunning desert of Saint George, Utah. He fought close calls with death often; yet, his bright eyes and teasing humor were always ready, trusting the good Lord’s purpose.

By his hospital bedside, Tom saw his own family wholly reconciled. Jesus poured great peace out over that moment from life to life everlasting. Even with his final words, Tom made the room howl with laughter.

You are so loved, Tom, you son of a gun!

Thomas Glenn Smith is survived by his wife Pam; children Caleb, Mary, Emily and Phyllis; grandsons Uriel, Samson, and Sullivan; his sister Julie Gahagan; and brother-in-law Brian.

A graveyard service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday Nov. 7, at Tonaquint Cemetery, 1777 S Dixie Dr., St George, UT. Memorial to follow after a break for lunch, at 2 p.m. at Hilltop Church, 1361 E Red Hills Pkwy, St George.

Consider gifts to Rejoice Broadcast Network, Creation Moments, or Hilltop Church, St. George, in memory of Tom.

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