Together Again

Max L. Jolley, 74 passed away on Tuesday October 27, 2020, at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center hospital after a short illness and a broken heart. He was able to be surrounded by his loving children as he passed, and was welcomed into the loving arms of his cherished wife and best friend Connie who passed away just two weeks prior.  He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.

Max was born on April 4, 1946 in Panguitch Utah to Virgil Henry and Nelda Susie Chynoweth Jolley. Their family later moved to Benjamin where he lived and worked on the family farm.  He loved the time that he was able to spend working side by side with his father and his brothers doing chores, hauling hay, and tending to their crops and animals. He enjoyed being a part of a large family with his ten siblings. He loved each of them dearly and often shared fond memories of his childhood. He loved the annual Jolley reunions where he could spend the weekend with his brothers, sisters, and extended families camping, riding horses, eating, laughing, and telling tall tales. He always had a joke or two to tell.  He married his high school sweetheart Connie Beckstead on April 15, 1965, in the Manti Temple.  They were blessed with three children: Cindy, Jill, and Chris.  They were his pride and joy.

Max graduated from Spanish Fork High School in 1964. He loved cars and owned several during his younger years. Some, even before he had a driver’s license.  He really enjoyed taking part in the high school’s auto mechanics program. He made friends easily and has many lifelong friendships that he developed while in high school. He and Connie enjoyed taking part in organizing and planning many of their class reunions.

Max was proud to serve his country as a member of the Utah National Guard from 1965-1971.  He always had a deep love for his country.

He had many different jobs throughout his life which he thoroughly enjoyed. He worked for Strawberry Water Users for many years, living at the division dam and the power plant. He and Connie later moved to St. George where they had purchased a Donut Shop.  They worked long hard hours, but did it side by side and loved the time that they spent together. He eventually retired from St. George City where he worked in the water reclamation department.  He and his wife Connie planned their retirement together and retired on April 15, 2008.

After their retirement, he and Connie really enjoyed going back to his childhood roots in Tropic Utah where he was raised in his early years.  They spent a lot of time with his cousin Kirk and his wife Annette. He loved driving around town and reminiscing about his life growing up as a young boy in Tropic.  He loved the area, the people and the relatives that he was able to talk with and the fond memories that he had. We were able to go there as a family and enjoy each other’s company, riding 4 wheelers, playing games, and going on trips down dad’s memory lane.

Max was a jack of all trades. He loved helping others in any way that he could.  He was born with the knowledge of how to fix anything.  If you had a problem, he could fix it.  Whether it was plumbing, electrical, welding, automotive, or appliances, you just had to call him and he would be over to get things working again.  Sometimes you didn’t even need to ask.  If he knew that you were having problems, you would often come home to find him there working on it, or had already fixed it and left.   He was always looking for a way to serve his fellow man. He also loved all kinds of machinery and could do repairs on anything with four wheels.  He had a love for Semi trucks and enjoyed hauling hay and other various loads across the state.

Max was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He enjoyed serving in many different callings.  He loved all of the people in their family home evening group and all of his close friends and neighbors in their ward.

Max is survived by his children: Cindy (Jeff “Whites”) Nelson of Spanish Fork, Jill (Scott) Rekoutis of West Jordan, and Chris (Jamie) Jolley of West Jordan. He has 9 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren that he loved so much.  He had a special bond with each and every one of them. He is also survived by his siblings and in-laws: Ruby Jolley, Marie Barney, Harvey Jolley, Dale (Diane) Jolley, Karel Hill, Ned (Angel) Jolley, Maxine (Larry) Rose, William Jolley, and Monna Mae Thomas. He was preceded in death by his parents, his soulmate and best friend Connie Beckstead Jolley, His brother Neldon Jolley, Brothers-in-law Ross Barney, George Hill, and sister-in-law Anna Rae Jolley.

Due to Covid 19 restrictions, a public viewing will be held on Sunday November 1 ^st from 6-8 PM at the Walker Funeral Home in Spanish Fork at 187 South Main Street, Spanish Fork UT 84660.  A private funeral will be held on Monday November 2 ^nd at 11:00 at Walker Funeral Home.  Interment will be at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery.

We want to thank all of the doctors, nurses, and staff at Revere Health in Salem and the Utah Valley Hospital for the kind and compassionate care that they provided for our parents.

The funeral services will be broadcast from this obituary page. Please return to this page on Monday just prior to the service to access the livestream.