Max Van Ness Wallentine passed away at home on February 21, 2026, from incidents due to age. He was born April 19, 1931, at Paris, ID, to Hattie Leola Booth and Van Ness Davis Wallentine as the eldest of 7 children and was reared on the family beef cattle ranch. After graduating from Fielding High School in Paris, ID, he served in the Eastern States Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He married Alma Gay Winters of Montpelier, ID, on February 20, 1953, in the Logan Temple. He graduated from Utah State University in 1955, was commissioned as an officer and served on active duty in the U. S. Army from 1956-58. He completed MS and PhD degrees in Animal Science at Cornell University in 1956 and 1960. They are the parents of 9 children: Shari Thurlow (Darrell) Lindon, UT; Sandra Longenecker (Tom) American Fork, UT; Patricia Bradley (Paul), Jill Swenson (Lyle), all of Salem, UT; Jeffrey Wallentine (Chari) Elk Ridge, UT; Kris Money (Brent) Palmyra, UT; Scott Wallentine (Karla) Springfield, MO; Steven Wallentine (Heather) Elk Ridge, UT; Jared Wallentine (Kimberly) Gilbert, AZ. Also surviving are 45 grandchildren, 112 great-grandchildren, and 3 brothers (Robert, Reed, and Eric). He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Gay; his parents; 2 sisters, Norine and Jean; and 2 brothers, Glen Craig and C. Booth.

Max and Gay served a senior mission (1998-99) in the Church Senior Missionary Department. He served as bishop of 3 wards, on several high councils, and in the original Salem Utah Stake Presidency. He was a dedicated home teacher along with numerous other Church callings. He served with Gay for over 15 years as Provo Temple ordinance workers. He was a good provider for his family and taught them the value of dependability, honesty, and hard work. A motto in his later life was, “You can pretend to care but you cannot pretend to show up.”

As a professional educator he was a teacher, published researcher, administrator, and consultant in Animal and Meat Science at Cornell, Purdue, and Brigham Young Universities. He served terms as associate dean, department chair, and for 27 years was Director of the BYU Agriculture Station, including managing its research and teaching farms/facilities. At the University’s request in 1968, he moved his family to the BYU Farm in Spanish Fork. They sold their Provo home and built their current home. He retired from the Animal Science Department at BYU in 1996. He was instrumental in the formation of the Ezra Taft Benson Agriculture and Food Institute. He enjoyed his family, sheep, Christmas tree farm, gardening, photography, family history, BYU sports, and world traveling. He served his family, neighbors, and friends in many ways including water manager for Sprinkle Green Associates and Bradford Acres Water Association. He enjoyed being “Grandpa fix-it” for his children and grandchildren and “Grampa Oldness” for great-grandchildren. He has supported academia and the medical profession with children working in those areas. He is also a cancer survivor since 1996.

The family wishes to express heartfelt gratitude for wonderful and watchful neighbors and friends, and the attentive and loving care offered by his nurses, Julia Safranova, Tritney Dansie, and the hospice caregivers from Aspen Ridge Home Health and Hospice.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 11am, with viewing prior from 9:45-10:45am at the Salem Utah Stake Center, 470 East Salem Canal Road, Salem, UT. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Church Perpetual Education Fund would be appreciated.

The funeral service for Max Wallentine will be streamed live. Please return to his memorial page shortly before 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 28, 2026 and click on the link below.

Max Wallentine Livestream Broadcast