James Robert "Bob" Ott

St George, Utah - Bob Ott was born on January 3, 1931, in Henrieville, Utah. He was the fourth of six children born to parents Joseph Alma and Mabel Charter Ott. He grew up in Tropic, Utah and spent his summers at the Yellow Creek Ranch.
Bob lost his father at the young age of 10 when he passed away in Richfield, Utah, of a ruptured appendix at age 42. Bob's mother was a schoolteacher from Midvale, Utah who went on to raise her six children alone. His grandfather and uncles became his father figures and role models as he grew up, teaching him how to ranch and farm.
Bob attended school and seminary in Tropic. He became a boy scout when he was 12. In 1948 he was a newspaper delivery boy for the Deseret News. He graduated from Tropic High School in 1949. He attended B.A.C. Branch Agricultural College in Cedar City, Utah (Now SUU) and worked for a year in the Cedar City Iron Mines.
Bob was married on March 21, 1951, to his sweetheart, Mira Loy Sudweeks. They were later sealed in the St. George, Utah Temple on March 23, 1956. They moved to Hawthorne, Nevada in 1952 where Bob worked at the Ammunition Depot. They returned to Tropic in 1953. During the summers Bob worked as a maintenance man at Bryce Canyon Lodge for Utah Parks. He later worked as a full-time laborer with the National Park Service during "Mission 66."
In 1958 Bob and Mira Loy moved their family to Bryce Canyon National Park when he was promoted to maintenance supervisor of buildings and utilities. In 1970 Bob was promoted to maintenance supervisor over "buildings & utilities" and "roads & trails." He trained as a first aid medic and a fireman from 1970-1972. In 1983 Bob retired from the National Park Service and moved the family to Cannonville, Utah.
Bob's 9-5 job was working for the Park Service, but his passion was running cattle. Bob bought his first cow in 1955. He followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps by running the ranch in Yellow Creek and various locations in Kane and Garfield Counties. In 1967 he bought the Cannonville farm.
Not knowing how to handle retirement, in April of 1986, Bob and Mira Loy became the owners and operators of Scenic Safaris at Kodachrome Basin State Park in Kane County. For 23 years, he and Mira ran the concession store, provided information and maps, rented out cabins, gave guided horse and stagecoach rides to thousands of tourists and built and maintained trails. They sold the Scenic Safaris business in September 2009, attempting to retire once more.
Bob was an active part of his community throughout his life. He was a board member for the Farm Service Association for nine years. He served in the Soil Conservation District for eight years. He was a charter member of the Bryce Lions Club for over 50 years. Bob was a High Council member of the Escalante, Utah Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for three years. He was also a High Priest group leader in the Cannonville Ward.
In addition to raising a family of their own, Bob and Mira helped raise three additional boys through the State and Church placement programs. Junior (Herbert Rockwell) and David Bushhead(deceased) each lived with them for a year. David Barney joined the family at the age of 12 and remained with them until adulthood.
Bob was well known and respected in the cattle community. In March 2002 he was featured in the Western Farmer Stockman Publication article entitled "A Face on the Monument." In 2011 he was honored as the "Local Lifetime Cowboy of the Year" in the Bryce Valley area. Bob was recognized as a Southern Utah Western Legend in 2017.
Bob was more cowboy than farmer. One of his favorite sayings was "You boys go ahead and finish hauling this hay while I go check some cattle." He was still checking on cattle until the very end. Bob taught his children and grandchildren the value of hard work. He also taught them how to have a sense of humor. His tall tales and jokes will live on with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Having lived his life to the fullest, Bob returned home to his Heavenly Father completely worn out on October 5, 2024, in Washington, Utah, at the age of 93.
Bob is survived by his wife, Mira Loy Sudweeks Ott; his children: Robert Joseph Ott (Randi), Valen D Ott, James KoWan Ott (Melanie), Tamra Loy Aposhian (Lawrence) and Stacy Gene Ott (Angie); 23 grandchildren; 61 great grandchildren; 3 great-great grandchildren; and his brother, Joe Ott
Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Alma Ott and Mabel Charter Ott; his siblings: Rella Ott (Alvey), McCune Ott, Stanley Ott, Janet Ott (Pollock); and his son, Reece Ott.
Our family would like to thank the Cannonville Ward for caring for our parents in their later years and the staff of Beehive Home at Coral Canyon and Canyon Hospice for making his last days as comfortable as possible.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. in the Cannonville Ward Chapel, 80 South Main Street, Cannonville, Utah. A visitation will be held Saturday, prior to services, from 10:00a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the church. Interment will follow in the Georgetown Cemetery, Cannonville, Utah.
Services may be viewed at the following ZOOM Link: Bob Ott Livestream. Passcode: BobOtt James Robert Ott Funeral Service Program