Leo Everett Thatcher

It's impossible to sum up a life. We are more than a list of accomplishments. Such was the full and precious life of Leo Everett Thatcher, who passed away on Monday, March 24th, 2025 at St Vincent's Hospital in Portland, Oregon.
Leo entered the world on January 28, 1945, in Ogden, Utah, welcomed by his mother, Marion Estella Thatcher (Trone). His father, Wilford Everett Thatcher, had just been deployed to Europe and wouldn't learn of his birth for several months.
At age 10, his family moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, where his father worked on rebuilding the Savage Rapids Dam. The following year they settled in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from David Douglas High School, he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Central British Mission (1964–1966).
Upon returning home, Leo enrolled at Brigham Young University. His college was temporarily cut short when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in Biên Hòa, Vietnam (1968–1969). Reflecting on being in the war, he later described the stark contrast he found himself in:
" after preaching repentance and baptism by immersion so that people could return to their Father in Heaven, I now found myself helping others return to their Father in Heaven without the opportunity to preach the Gospel to them."
As a maintenance crew chief on the Huey helicopter, Leo manned the right door gun position and frequently sprayed Agent Orange, leading to chemical exposure that would impact his health throughout his life, even playing a contributing factor in his death. Despite the hardships of war, he found moments of beauty through photographing breathtaking landscapes from the air, serving in church callings, and witnessing miracles that strengthened his faith, as God saved his life many times.
After returning home, Leo pursued a degree in civil engineering technology at Portland Community College. During this time, he met Becky Stanley at a church meeting. He frequently called to talk about activities they could do together but never quite got up the courage to ask her out, until, out of frustration Becky threw a party and invited him. Fortunately, Leo attended, finally asked her on a date, and after several months, they were married in the Salt Lake Temple.
After the birth of their son Jared, the family moved to Olympia, Washington, where Leo attended Saint Martin's College. A humorous moment occurred when the registrar informed him that he couldn't graduate because of an unmet religious course requirement. His faculty advisor confirmed that his BYU Book of Mormon classes should fulfill the requirement. But while the college allowed the transfer credits, they added one stipulation: "You can never tell anyone that you graduated from a Catholic college with Book of Mormon religious credits."
With his bachelor's degree in civil engineering, Leo moved his family back to Portland, where he worked at Bonneville Power Administration. Around the same time, they welcomed their daughter Shawn into the family. After a few years designing high-tension powerline towers, Leo partnered with his father in launching Thatcher Steel Fabricators. When they sold the business, Leo stayed on under the new owner.
Next, the couple's youngest daughter, Camea, joined their family. In 1982, Leo embarked on a new entrepreneurial venture, co-founding G.T.E. Metal Fabricators alongside Harold Eubanks and Sid Gunther, and then moved the family to Canby, Oregon. Over the years, the company played a crucial role in constructing skyscrapers, bridges, dams, fish ladders, sewage treatment plants, jails, schools, and even the structural steel and handrails at Portland's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. One of their most notable projects was building a paper mill in Russia in the winter of 1990. In 2003, after two decades of success, Leo sold his shares and retired to their vacation home near Neskowin, Oregon.
Retirement brought Leo some of the best years of his life. He and Becky traveled to the United Kingdom, took Alaskan cruises, and transited the Panama Canal. He picked up rock polishing as a hobby, crafting tie pins and brooches for friends and family. He enjoyed sharing this hobby with his grandchildren. His greatest joy was spending time with his grandchildren.
Leo is survived by his wife of 54 years, Becky, Neskowin, Oregon; children: Jared (Anna) Thatcher of Gig Harbor, Washington, Shawn (Brad) Guerry of Tucson, Arizona, and Camea (Clayton) Moreau of Kennewick, Washington. His grandchildren: Andrew (Emily) Thatcher and John Thatcher (Provo, Utah), Nicole and Isabelle Thatcher; Leslie, and Emily Guerry; Evelyn, Stella, Fisher, Sabine, and Beatrice Moreau.
He is also survived by his siblings Carol Brown, Robert Thatcher, Nathalia Crookston, Ann Griffith, Joy Candrian, and Karl Thatcher. Preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Lester and David Thatcher.
A life well-lived, a legacy of love, and a heart that touched so many-Leo Everett Thatcher will be deeply missed but never forgotten.
Please join us in celebrating his life on Tuesday, April 1st at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Canby, Oregon at 1285 S Elm St, Canby, OR 97013. The viewing will be 9 AM for those interested, followed by the service at 10 AM with Refreshments to follow.
Committal Ceremony will be at tha Willamette National Cemetery: 2 PM - arrive no later than 1:30
11800 SE Mt Scott Blvd, Happy Valley, OR 97086
Family and friends are invited to return to the Canby building to continue celebrating Leo's wonderful life.
If you are unable to join us in person, you can join us on Zoom at 10 AM for his funeral service :
https://zoom.us/j/2937291813?pwd=RExHUnExQmI5NzRCK1NJZ25DYzNYQT09&omn=95298836796
Meeting ID: 293 729 1813
Passcode: 219980
Flowers can be sent directly to Becky at her home: 10900 Neskowin Trace Rd., Neskowin, Oregon 97149