Gary Royce Seamons of Rexburg, Idaho passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, August 7, 2011. He was living in the Rexburg Care and Rehabilitation Center, where he had been leaving this life little by little, day by day, for the last seven years through his decline with Alzheimer's Disease.

Born November 30, 1936 in Logan, Utah, Gary was the fourth child of Royce James Seamons and Mary Afton Gittins.

Gary grew up in Ogden and South Weber, Utah, where he discovered a lifelong love of trains and tools. He started playing drums in junior high, and by high school he was involved in playing for many dances. After graduating from Davis High, Gary performed in professional bands for ten years. During that same era, he served in the National Guard for 6 ½ years, working in heavy artillery.

Gary accepted employment with the National Cash Register Company—and he stayed with them for over 38 years, seeing the world evolve from hand crank adding machines to ATMs. Gary was a Field Engineer, an Area Supervisor in Salt Lake City, and later a Sub-Office Manager in Ogden.

It was while Gary was in an NCR training school in Dayton, Ohio, that he met Sharon Carter. They married on January 12, 1962 in the Idaho Falls Temple and had six living children. They spent most of their married life in Roy, Utah, on a small hobby farm with plenty of barn cats and a few head of cattle. Gary loved landscaping their yard with wagon wheels, Union Pacific railroad ties, Lincoln Highway markers, burl wood, road signs, and pine trees. After retiring, Gary and Sharon moved to Buhl, Idaho—Sharon's hometown.

Gary enjoyed taking motorcycle rides through canyons or down country lanes. Over the years, Gary developed many hobbies which he loved sharing; he often gave thoughtful gifts of silver coins, colored glass, and handwritten poetry. Gary always carried a crisp bundle of bills in a silver money clip, a colored hankie, and a rock for good luck.


Gary enjoyed his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in the Western States Mission, which included five states. In his early married life, Gary was one of the steady workers in building a new chapel. He later served as a counselor in a Bishopric, Ward Executive Secretary, Stake Finance Clerk, Gospel Doctrine Teacher, Explorer Scout Advisor, and Home Teacher. He had a profound love of Church History and could retell a story as if he had been there himself.

Gary is survived by his wife, Sharon Carter Seamons; six children: Justin Royce (Laurie) Seamons, Rhonda Seamons, Shanna Seamons (Marcel) LeBlanc, Lisa Ione Seamons, Darren Carter Seamons, and Taunya Seamons (Justin) Nelson; twelve grandchildren; and sister, Sandra Noreen Seamons. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, and one grandson.

Services and burial were in Buhl, Idaho.