David Henry Sargent

David Henry Sargent, 84, longtime resident of Springville, died on Sunday, February 16, 2025. Born in Springville, David was fifth of the six children of Merle and Oleah Huff Sargent. Dave and his wife Martha celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on January 25th, 2025.

Dave's daily mission was to make everyone he encountered smile. His success rate was high. His interests included chocolate, chocolate milk, chocolate shakes, and limericks about chocolate. In his spare time he dabbled in music as a professor of composition and theory at Eastman School of Music and then for 32 years at Brigham Young University. He held the Harold R. Laycock University Professorship for Music Composition at BYU for ten years before retiring in 2008.

He is the composer of notable pieces for a wide-ranging variety of musical forces: from pieces for solo guitar, piano, voice, or choir to chamber works for various combinations of musicians. Of particular note, his large commissioned work for full orchestra, combined choirs, and vocal soloist, From the Sermons of Jesus Christ was premiered by the students at BYU-Idaho. 

David served two missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a young man, he served in the North Central States Mission. More recently, he and Martha served for a year and a half in their home stake. Dave has had many opportunities to serve his fellow church members. He has never taken his church service lightly and he has made people smile all along the way, which made him happy.

Dave and Martha are a mutually supportive couple. Their artistic talents have been complementary and collaborative. They have been each other's most enthusiastic cheerleaders. David and Martha are the parents of five children. The family they created together is happy, close, supportive, and very silly. They are David and Annie-Claude Sargent and their daughter Marianne who reside in France; Jeannie and Steve Doty and their sons Luke and Max of Sandy; Jeff and Keri Sargent and their daughters Lily and Coraline who live in West Valley City; Katy and Steve Russell of Bountiful; and Emily and Shaon Primus and their children James and Nana who live in Holladay.

The whole family wants to particularly thank the staff of Beehive Homes in Spanish Fork, and the staff of Heritage Gardens in Springville. You made David and Martha feel welcome, safe, cared for, and loved, and our appreciation is deep.

Dave will be sorely missed by his dear wife, Martha, his five children and their families, his two living sisters, Ruth Payne and Gloria Collins, and the large number of in-laws, nieces and nephews, neighbors, colleagues, and friends that are left behind. In particular, Dave is the beloved grandfather to a small group of excellent grandchildren who will miss all of the jokes he was going to tell them—especially the ones that they know by heart.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the School of Music at Brigham Young University or that you honor Dave by helping a few extra people smile each day.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at the Hobble Creek LDS Stake Center, 495 South Canyon Drive, Springville, Utah. Viewings for family and friends will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, February 21, 2025, at the Stake Center and from 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Saturday, February 22, 2025, before the services at the church. Burial will be in the Springville Evergreen Cemetery, 1997 South 400 East, Springville, Utah.

Condolences for the family may be expressed on this page. 

For those unable to attend the services in person, they can be viewed via YouTube Live, on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the following link: https://youtube.com/live/iNDI6vQ2HsI?feature=share