John Anastacio Ortez

John Anastacio Ortez, 79, passed away on December 16, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Ut. He was born on March 20, 1945, in Superior, Wyoming to Andy and Ramona Ortez.

 John spent most of his career in the construction industry. He was a highly skilled and exceptional heavy equipment operator, and even owned a business at one time, John’s Custom Backhoe Service.

 Outside of his work life, John was quite the outdoorsman. He had a love for nature and was an avid hunter and fisherman. It wasn’t unusual to find John watching old western and cowboy movies and eating chocolate. He enjoyed listening to the music of Lady Antebellum and Shania Twain, while drinking a cup of coffee with a shot of Evan Williams in it, as John would say, “To take the edge off of the day”.

 He is survived by his two sons, Randy Ortez, Dan (Paula) Ortez, 14 grandchildren, many great grandchildren, 5 brothers: Jerry, Jack, Ray, Tom (Jen), Dave (Michelle) and 5 sisters: Carol, Emily, Andrea (Bracken), Sandy (Kelly), Jane (Dave) and numerous nieces and nephews and lifelong friends.

 He is preceded in death by his son John Kevin Ortez, daughter Jodie Carpenter, grandson Dalton Carpenter, his parents Andy and Ramona Ortez and his sister Nancy Grove.

 Graveside service will be held on January 11, 2024, at 2 pm at the Memorial Redwood Cemetery located at 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah, 84123.