Royal Stocking

Royal J. Stocking, 84, of Salt Lake City passed away peacefully of old age on March 19, 2019. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, son, brother, uncle and friend to all. Born in 1934 to Joseph and Adeline (Ingram) Stocking in Salt Lake City, Utah, the 3rd of 4 children. Royal attended Elementary and Junior High School in Sugarhouse and graduated from Murray High School in 1953. He received a BA in Accounting from BYU in 1962.

Royal served in the Air National Guard and US Air Force. He married Dortha Gerrard in the Salt Lake Temple in 1959 and together they embarked on an adventure that took them from Murray to London to Picayune to San Jose to Grants Pass and eventually St. George. They are the parents of seven children.

In 2007 Royal married Elizabeth Ann Bertoch Stocking. They shared many memorable trips and special times including the inevitable aches and pains of their final years.

Royal was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served in numerous callings. Highlights were the Central States Mission and a work mission to London, England. Throughout his life Royal demonstrated a simple, humble, unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. He never said an unkind word about others, even when they richly deserved it.

As a boy Royal loved spending summers with his family at their ranch near Oakley, Utah. He and Dortha attempted to share the values of ranch life with their young family when they moved to a 50 acre “spread” in Cave Junction, Oregon. After several corporate accounting positions early in his career, Royal started “Royal Bookkeeping Service” and specialized in small business and personal accounting and tax preparation. After moving to St. George, he worked for Dixie State College as an accountant. Along the way he started several entrepreneurial ventures that were “good learning experiences.”

Royal was preceded in death by his parents, wife Dortha Gerrard Stocking, and sister Norma Stocking Vance. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Ann Bertoch Stocking, sisters JennaVee Stocking Reed and Wilma Stocking Clevenger; children Tracy (Susan) Stocking, Joe Stocking, Sherrie (Lynn) Howell, Jill Stocking, Dan (Amy) Stocking, Tricia (Jerome) Fogle, and Jesse Stocking; Step children Mark (Jerilee) Jones, Leslie (Randy) Swartwood, Ondulyn Jones; 18 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, 6 step-grandchildren, and 4 step-great grandchildren. Many thanks to the angel care-givers at Evergreen Rest Home.

Funeral services will be held Friday, March 29, 2019 at 12 noon at the Garden Park 4th Ward located at 4484 W. Willoughby Drive South Jordan, Utah. A viewing will precede the funeral from 10:30 am to 11:45 am. A graveside memorial service will be held just prior to interment on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 2 pm at Tonaquint Cemetery, St. George, Utah.