BRIAN BEST

Brian Stanley Best 1934 ~ 2011 Brian Stanley Best died Thursday, April 21, 2011, of sudden heart problems.He was born on May 28, 1934 to Stanley Earl Best and Nevada Whitehead, the oldest son of their six children. Brian grew up in Kamas, Utah, and always loved Utah's mountains and high mountain valleys. He learned early to work hard, and he demanded much of his good mind and strong athletic body. Football was his first and perhaps biggest love, but he was good at most sports. He left Kamas to take a B.A. and then an M.A. degree at Brigham Young University; he then interrupted an early-begun teaching career at BYU to take a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. After a Danforth year in England and additional research time at Harvard, he returned with his young family to the BYU English department where he taught until his retirement. He was a brilliant and innovative professor, and though his doctoral dissertation was on George Bernard Shaw and his professional center was Victorian and Romantic English literature, two of his favorite courses were a class he originated in "The Bible as Literature" and an Honors Colloquium in "Learning How to Learn." He loved beautifully written works and was himself a writer. Brian married Margaret Fisher in 1957 and had three children; they were later divorced. In 1982 he married Lorna Nielsen. A loving husband and father, he is survived by his wife, his son Steven (Donna), his two daughters Susan (Andy Baggs), and Kaye Lynn (Barry Wootton), and his dear grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is also survived by one brother and two sisters. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, and a sister. The gospel of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were always the center of his life. Besides serving a two-year mission in New England, he also served -among many other callings - as a bishop and as a member of several high councils. He loved studying and teaching the gospel and was often a gospel doctrine teacher. Brian loved and served his family and others. He was a superb teacher, a mentor, and a great friend to many. He will be deeply missed. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, April 25, at the Edgmont Ninth Ward chapel at 4300 North Canyon Road in Provo. Friends may call at the Ninth Ward chapel on Sunday, April 24, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., and also on Monday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 before the services. Interment will be in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery. Condolences may be extended to the family at www.walkerfamilymortuary.com