David Maughan Soderberg

David Maughan Soderberg, June 3,1957-December 23, 2022: On Friday morning, in the peace of his home surrounded by his loving family and faithful pup, David Maughan Soderberg courageously returned home to his Father in Heaven after enduring a seven-year struggle with early-onset dementia. David wanted to remain with his family as long as possible and that was made possible by the loving care of his devoted wife Linda. He viewed his family as both his greatest source of happiness and his greatest accomplishment.



David was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 3, 1957 to Dr. Thomas Evans Soderberg and Shirley Gene Maughan Soderberg Stoddard, who raised him as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to which he remained a faithful member throughout his life. He had three brothers (Jeff, Steve-deceased 1986, and Scott), and two sisters (Kristen and Kara). Dave loved the outdoors and had a passion for teaching others. He loved water and snow skiing and found few things more important in his high school and early college years, and later became a ski instructor. He was a student of whatever he did and that combined with a lot of natural talent helped him excel in whatever he put his mind to. He told great stories of taking his dad's boat to Lake Powell and hitting the Park City ski slopes doing spread eagles and flips. David was an Eagle Scout and graduated from East High School in 1975 where he played soccer, then went on to serve a mission in St. Louis, Missouri.



After his mission David met Linda Rae McIntosh and fell in love with the young high school senior. They were married August 30, 1979 in the Salt Lake City temple after she graduated high school, and they took on life together hand in hand. Dave worked hard and earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in Physical Education from the University of Utah in 1983, with a minor in speech communication. He then went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Brigham Young University in 1991, but his heart always bled red.



Linda worked hard to help put him through school and was a stay-at-home mom taking care of their four children, Andrew (Michelle Brady), Daniel (Rachel Denzer), Melissa (Doug Oldham), and Lindsay (Casey Voelkl). While working toward graduation, David joined his brother Jeff at Soderberg Sprinklers in 1980, then later owned and operated the business until moving away. He never did quit playing in the dirt until he finally "retired" from his sprinkler and landscape side gig in 2018 – or at least until the next person needed some landscape tips. He was good at his trade and often was found fixing or helping those around him with their yards, or weeding and perfecting his own. It brought him so much joy to take unleveled dirt and turn it into something lush and beautiful. His kids would often climb on his lap after piping and gluing and try to peel off the sprinkler glue that encompassed his hands. Linda always said he had the strength and stamina of 10 men and could work tirelessly in the hot sun from sun up 'till sun down.



Dave went on to teach for Church Educational Systems with Seminaries and Institutes for 32 years in Utah, Illinois, and Colorado, before coming back to Utah and retiring from the Institute of Religion at Utah Valley University. He served as a teacher and vice principal of seminaries, and a teacher, director and coordinator for institutes. He was an honorary member of the Golden Key National Honor Society of the University of Northern Colorado, and served on various committees and societies. He loved his students and helping others strengthen their relationship with their Savior, Jesus Christ. He considered all his students his own kids and was personally invested in each. He and his family built and maintained great friendships throughout the years from these experiences and still spoke to many of his students often throughout his life. In 2007-2012 he served as a Bishop to the Aspen Heights Ward in Spanish Fork, Utah and loved serving and learning from his neighbors and friends. He served in both the Denver, Colorado and Payson, Utah temples for the church.



He was a student at his core and loved learning and studying things as a seeker of truth. He retained knowledge and loved to share it with those around him. He was very detail-oriented, and his kids would say that carried over into his cleaning techniques. He loved the outdoors and working with his hands. He had a mind for construction and how things worked and operated. He could fix anything, learn anything, and teach anything. Some of his favorite hobbies included camping, fishing, four wheeling, macro and landscape photography, home projects, writing poetry, studying the scriptures and Church doctrine, amusement parks with his family, feeding birds in his back-yard bird feeder, and gardening. He loved sharing these with his children and 13 grandchildren, who he loved so much, and learning from their hobbies as well.



He loved singing, dancing, and making up wrong lyrics to Elvis, John Denver, and The Beach Boys. He had a signature move of "Bump the Banana" and an honorary solo to "Feliz Navidad". Despite his illness, he could still recognize and recall the words to those songs when they were played and they brought a smile to his face up until the time of his death. He had a quick wit and loved to tease, specifically with board games, hiding dinner plates, and jumping out at his wife from various hiding spots throughout the house. He had a smile that always gave him away when he got caught being mischievous, and couldn't understand how his family always knew. His favorite food was his wife's and mom's cooking, and he cherished making memories with his family through family vacations and road trips. Dave could drive for hours without ever getting tired and loved taking his family to new, fun places.



In his final years, he wanted to help and serve everyone he met and make sure they knew how much he cared about them, and especially how important they were to their Father in Heaven. As his speech slowed, it became difficult for him to communicate, but he made sure to express how important it was for people around him to know he still cared about them, even though he couldn't adequately tell them.



The family would like to thank the nurses and staff of Utah Home Health & Hospice and Walker Funeral Home who have been so caring and wonderful to David as he transitioned home. A viewing will be held at Walker Funeral Home in Spanish Fork, Utah on Thursday, January 5, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. at 187 South Main Street. Funeral services will be held Friday, January 6, 2023 at 11 a.m. with an open casket from 9:30-10:45 a.m. at the Canyon Ridge Stake Center, at 1911 East 1850 South in Spanish Fork, Utah. Interment services will be at the Spanish Fork Cemetery following the funeral.