Larry Lee Francis, age 90, of Provo, Utah, passed away on June 26, 2026 surrounded by loving family.
The fourth of six children, Larry was born April 4, 1936 on a farm in Lake Shore, Utah, to Elizabeth Maud Howard and Ronald Grant Francis. He attended Spanish Fork High School and Brigham Young University. He married his high school sweetheart, Sara Ann Banks (Ann) in 1955. A few years later they packed their two young sons and all their belongings into their 1950 Mercury and trailer, and traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend the Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine.
After completing dental school, Larry and Ann returned to Utah and began a dental practice in Provo. They continued to add to their family, and raised their six sons, one daughter, and one foster daughter in the Grandview neighborhood in Provo. Because of his rural farm upbringing and his generous nature, he became an impactful and valued leader in his local Boy Scouts of America unit. He was awarded the Silver Beaver award due to his service and dedication in that organization.
Larry was a dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in many leadership positions. With his wife, Ann, he served two full-time missions: one in the Kenya Nairobi mission as a dental advisor, and the second as a proselyting missionary in the Melbourne Australia mission. He also served as a temple ordinance worker for 15 years. After Ann’s death in 2017, he married Suzanne Merrill and they enjoyed four years together until the time of his death.
Larry loved the outdoors. He spent countless hours hiking, camping, and hunting in the mountains with family and friends. At the family ranch in Birdseye, he was often found working alongside the people he loved, fixing the broken backhoe, cutting the grass, repairing fences and pipes, or irrigating. He taught his children and grandchildren how to work as they assisted him. When he wasn’t tinkering in the garage or building a part to fix something, he was blessing others’ lives through selfless acts of service in the community.
Larry is survived by his wife, Suzanne Merrill, his two sisters: JoAnn Phillips, Dixie Page (Tom); his brother, Ronald G. Francis (Sally); his sister-in-law Deann Francis; and his children Larry Lee Francis, Jr. (Lisa Ferrier), William R. Francis (Vickie Lindsay), Jed B. Francis (Kathleen Feldman), Jode Fitzgerald (Kenneth M.), Sam H. Francis, Guy V. Francis (Lorien Young), Ben W. Francis (Kristin Holdaway), and Wendy Lilly Muzzie (Albert). He is also survived by thirty-seven grandchildren and sixty great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ronald Grant Francis and Elizabeth Maud Howard, his wife Sara Ann Banks Francis, his two brothers, Howard R. Francis and Vaughn E. Francis (Verna), and brother-in-law, Ross Phillips.
A funeral will be held on Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 11:00 am at the Grandview South Stake Center at 1122 Grand Avenue, Provo, Utah. A viewing will be held the evening before, July 8, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm in the same location, and prior to the funeral service from 9:45 am until 10:45 am.
Interment will take place in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery following the funeral service.

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