Thor Leifson

Thor Elden Leifson, 95, of Provo, Utah passed away on April 16, 2024, at Legacy Village, in Provo,
Utah. He was born April 18, 1928 in Spanish Fork, Utah, a son of J. Victor and Mary Bradford Leifson.
Thor graduated as an honor student and student body president from Spanish Fork High School in
1946. He then served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. He served an LDS mission to
Paris, France from 1951 to 1953. Thor graduated from Brigham Young University in 1955 with a
degree in education and languages. He taught school in both California and Utah. It was while
teaching in California that he met and later married Loyce Mae Partridge on December 20, 1956 in the
Los Angeles California Temple.
Thor enjoyed both the education and construction professions throughout his lifetime. He personally
designed and built four homes and remodeled several others for his family. After two building missions
for the LDS Church, one in Europe and the other in the South Pacific, he was employed at the LDS
Church Office Building, in Salt Lake City, Utah, working in the Building Department for over 26 years.
During the final 15 years of his career, he managed the worldwide temple renovation and maintenance
programs for the Church.
Thor had many interests, including reading from his extensive personal library, listening to classical
music, and playing and watching sports of every kind. He was a lifetime Cougar Club member. He
loved the outdoors and spent a great deal of time hiking near his Sundance, Indian Canyon, and
Palisades properties, as well as in the majestic mountains of Switzerland where he and his wife served
a mission in the Swiss Temple.
He was pleased to have compiled and published his own personal history and also compiled histories
of several of his ancestors.
He had a special interest and love for Iceland from whence his paternal grandparents immigrated. He
visited Iceland numerous times and served for several years as an honorary consul of Iceland,
representing the country for the Intermountain States.
Thor was a very outgoing and sociable individual and had close friends both at home and in a number
of countries throughout the world. His very greatest love, however, was for his family members. His
wife, children, and grandchildren returned that love and affection giving him some of the greatest
happiness in his life.
Thor was an active member of the LDS Church in which he served numerous callings, including in
mission and temple presidencies. He served a number of LDS missions (proselyting, building and
service, and temple missions) in various parts of the world. In recent years, he served as a temple
worker and sealer in Washington, DC, Swiss, and Provo Temples.
Thor is survived by his wife, Loyce, and two sons and two daughters, Eric Leifson (Annette) of
Camarillo, CA; Hal Leifson (Jan) of South Jordan, UT; Shari Walbeck (Glen) of South Jordan, UT; and
Kristin L. Ballif of Williston, VT. He was blessed with 14 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. He is
survived by one sister, June Leifson, and one brother, Mark Leifson (Freda Kaye). He was preceded in
death by his son, Jon Leifson; a great-grandson, Brennan Holmstead; four brothers, Glen, Ted (Ruth),
Allen (Mary Lou), and Jack (Marilyn); and four sisters, Freda McKell (William), Luene Ludlow (Dan),
Afton Rosenbaum (Var), and Elaine Pullman (Dee).
A viewing will be held at Nelson Family Mortuary, 4780 N University Avenue, Provo, Utah, 84604 on
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 1:00 pm. Funeral service to follow at 2:00 pm.
Interment at Spanish Fork City Cemetery, 420 South 400 East, Spanish Fork, Utah 84660.