Mack Jones Wardell

Mack Jones Wardell was born January 11, 1938, to Albert Dalton Wardell and Linnie Jones Wardell in Lovell, Wyoming. Mack was his sister Merla's 7th Birthday Present. Mack joined Albert Jay, Callis, Preston, Irma, Merla, and Lee. A few years later Joan joined the family. He attended Elementary School in Otto, Wyoming where his mom was one of the teachers. He then attended middle school in Greybull. For high school he decided to attend at Burlington so he would have more of an opportunity to play basketball. He graduated from Burlington High School in May of 1957. After graduation he went on a mission to Canada where President Thomas S. Monson was his Mission President. After he returned from his mission, he started to learn the family trade of being a brick layer.
When Mack was a young boy, he and his brother Lee would go with their dad to the Big Horn Mountains so their dad could log. They would go up in the morning and come down in the evening. Mack and Lee would sled down the road that was covered in ice while their dad was busy cutting the trees. They would build a fire and wait for their dad to come down. His childhood is where he grew his deep love of the Big Horn Mountains.
He met the love of his life, Bonnie Walker. She fed him an amazing home cooked fried chicken dinner. Little did he know her Mom and Dad just stepped out the back door. Mack and Bonnie were sealed for time and all eternity on May 2, 1961, in the Idaho Falls Temple. They were married 64 ½ years.
Mack and Bonnie, early in their marriage, moved several times before settling in Otto, where they raised their family. They were blessed with Alan, Karen, Dan, Kent, Colleen, Chris, Neal, and Mack Curtis.
Mack and Bonnie loved raising their family on the farm. The kids learned to work hard and grew to love horses like their dad. The horses were a very important part of the family vacation every year. Mack always said it was a family vacation to go to the Big Horn Mountains for hunting season. Mack would make sure not to shoot an elk on opening day because the vacation would end. Mack's CB name was Shortcut.
Mack was a scout leader. For three years Mack and another leader would take the Boy Scouts on a 50-mile hike. They would start near Ten Sleep and come out at the Shell Ranger Station following the Cloud Peak Wilderness trail. The scouts and other leaders are pretty sure it was a lot longer than 50 miles. Mack would say the boys that went on the hike were in great shape for football.
When Neal was hurt, Mack put his career on hold and spent three summer months in Denver, Colorado, at the Children's Hospital so Bonnie could work. Bonnie had the much-needed medical insurance provided by her job. Mack then continued taking care of Neal and attended school with him for one year.
In the spring of 2021 Colleen sold the family farm and moved Mack and Bonnie to Lovell to be closer to the kids. Mack told people that they sold his house and took his cook, so he had to move kicking and screaming!
Mack was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Dalton Wardell and Linnie Jones Wardell, Stepmom: Anna Wardell, Siblings: Albert Jay (Phern) Wardell, Callis (Eunice) Wardell, Preston Wardell, Irma (Melvin) Neves, Merla (Reanous) Henderson, Martin LaFollette, & and Lee (Jean) Wardell, and brother-in-law Darold Williams. Children: Neal Wardell, Grand Children: Zeke Wardell, Dylan Wardell, Blake Wardell, and Hudson Wardell.
He is survived by Sister Joan (Bruce) Butler. Children: Alan (Jonette) Wardell, Karen Gutierrez, Dan Wardell, Kent (LeAnne)Wardell, Colleen (Rick) Tippetts, Chris (Natalie) Wardell, and Mack Curtis (Jessica) Wardell. Mack had 24 Grandchildren and 23 Great Grandchildren.
Mack passed away in Billings Montana, on November 5, 2025.
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