James Lloyd Greaves

Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great-grandfather, Veteran, Friend

James Lloyd Greaves passed peacefully at home on August 6th, 2024. He was born October 14, 1939, to William Lloyd and Olive (Hill) Greaves. He was the only son amongst three sisters; they were all raised in Murray, Utah. His first job was at 12 years old setting pins at the local bowling alley. At 16 he got a job working at the first Kentucky Fried Chicken with his sister JoAnn. He attended Granite High school and graduated in 1958. After graduation he enlisted in the United States Army Reserves, completing basic training in Fort Knox, Kentucky. He served his country for 38 years. 

Jim married Judith Morton in August of 1959, they had four children, and later divorced.

He married the love of his life, Diane Belcher On April 4, 1969. They were then sealed for all time and eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple on April 7, 1978. They were married for 20,213 days. 19,859 of those were blissfully happy, 5 days divorce was imminent and 349 of the days were mundane. They bought a house in West Jordan in 1974, and had a little farm, E-I-E-I-O and on that farm, they had 5 kids, E-I-E-I-O! He liked to spend time hunting with his 2 young sons. Jim and Diane spent many years volunteering in their local community spending many years running the West Jordan Parade. They loved traveling, Square Dancing, and spending time with family and friends. 

Jim was a drywall finisher for many years before becoming a mechanic for the U.S. government working at Fort Douglas. He retired from the United States Army Reserves as a Master Sergeant with full honors on Oct 14, 1999. Jim continued to do drywall on the side throughout his life. He was not the type that stayed still. After retiring he continued to work in many different jobs including Enterprise rental car for the last 10 years.

His favorite hobby was woodworking. He spent countless hours in his woodshop making all things out of wood, beautiful clocks, music boxes, and children's toys. He enjoyed submitting many of his creations to the State and County fairs where he won many first-place ribbons. The last few years he wouldn’t have been able to do all he did without the help of his youngest daughter Debbie. She spent many hours out in the shop helping Dad clean and set up items for completion. Debbie also spent time helping Dad manage the garage and keep up on the John Deer tractors, another one of his loves. 

You could find him almost every morning over the last 30 years at Ogie’s Café in West Valley. The food was good but the company was great! 

Jim is survived by his wife Diane, son Cody (Rhonda) Greaves, his daughters Claudia (James) Schacher, Lisa (Chuks) Iwuh, Tessa (Chad) Wheelwright, and Debbie Greaves. Ryan and Tina Caldwell. His two sisters, Lois Nielsen, and Enid Pierce. Four children from his first marriage, Julie (Jim) Thomas, Linda Jensen, Robert Greaves, Laurie Greaves. Many grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, William Lloyd and Olive Greaves, Sister JoAnn Atkinson, Son Justin Greaves, and Grandson Micheal Greaves.

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 11:00 am, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel 1945 West 9000 South, West Jordan, UT 84088. The viewing will be held at the same chapel on Friday, August 16, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and the day of the service from 10:00 – 10:45 am. 

 Interment will be held on August 20th, 2024 at 1:00 pm at the Utah Veterans Memorial Park (Camp Williams) 17111 South Camp Williams Road, Bluffdale, UT 84065.

Our family would like to thank the Doctors, Nurses, and Staff in the Neurological Department at both the University of Utah Hospital and Intermountain Medical Center for their dedication and perseverance in diagnosing Jim. A very special thank you to Brandon and Rachel Aegerter for their expertise, comfort, friendship, and support during Jim’s final days. 

Please deliver all floral tributes to our Murray location, 5850 South 900 East, Murray, Utah 84121.