David S. Ostler

1931 - 2016

1931~2016
David Sorenson Ostler was born in Nephi, Utah on June 17, 1931, and passed away as a result of a brain tumor in Salt Lake City on March 31, 2016. David was born in the early days of the Great Depression and learned the value of work. He was the son of Anna Grace and LeRoy Taylor Ostler. At age eleven he taught himself to drive the truck on the family farm, and he learned to read by the light of a kerosene lamp on the kitchen table. He learned to calculate the costs of raising cattle and preserved the profit for his education. He learned early that you don't eat the 'seed corn' or there will be nothing to plant the following year.
David was selected as the Senior Class President of Juab High School and attended his first year of college at Utah State Agricultural College (now Utah State University). His National Guard Unit was one of the first activated at the beginning of the Korean War which interrupted his education. Following his active duty in the war, he served as a missionary in the Swiss/Austrian Mission. He served his entire mission in Bern, Switzerland where he was called as District President for the last year. Precious relationships were made there that spanned David's life. Upon his return to Utah, he entered Brigham Young University where he graduated with a BA in Business. He married and adored the petite Sharon Scott in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on August 24, 1955. After BYU, they departed for Cambridge, MA where he earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Active in varied and creative business ventures, David's successful career mirrored the self-made man he was. As his hectic business career began to wind down, he served for three terms in the Utah State House of Representatives, representing the Holladay/Cottonwood area of Salt Lake County. He served as a member of the Holladay/Cottonwood Community Council, a member of the Governor's Science Advisory Council, and for 22 years as a member of the Citizens' Advisory Commission for Chemical Weapons Demilitarization. The Commission had citizen oversight for the destruction of the dangerous chemical weapons remaining from World Wars I and II, located in Tooele County. Initially that site contained 44% of the entire US stockpile of chemical weapons. Finally in 2012 the Army succeeded in the elimination of these toxic weapons. David also served the citizens of the State of Utah in the capacity of Board President and Member of many civic-minded organizations. He was quietly generous with funds and with mentoring of many young persons. David knew a vast network of people, sometimes generations within the same family and how they fit together like a puzzle. Likewise, during quiet moments he kept his mind busy with crossword puzzles.
Retirement was not in David's plan for life. He served his Terrace Falls Condominium neighbors as the association president for many years. He also made use of his real estate broker's license by negotiating sales/purchase contracts for the residents at a deeply discounted rate. Many neighbors and young families also appreciated his knowledge of how things work, and his willingness to be of assistance. He also served an Inner City Service Mission teaching members how to financially empower themselves, and he worked for years as an ordinance worker in the Salt Lake Temple.
Preceded in death by his wife, parents, and brothers John, LeRoy and Morris, David is survived by his children: David V (Cindy), Park City, UT, Cynthia (John) Shipley, Tremonton, UT, Suzanne (Stephen) Shippen, Alpine, UT, Randall S (Zully), Miami, FL, Emily (Henry) Glasheen, Salt Lake City, UT, Christopher T (Willow), Santa Rosa, CA, 22 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, Siblings: Grace (Glade ) Merkley, (Barbara Ostler), Karen (Arvel) Hemmenway, Paul (Anita) Ostler, Steven (Ruth) Ostler and Kathy Ware.
Friends and family may call at the LDS Church, 135 A Street, Salt Lake City, UT on April 4, 2016 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., and on April 5, 2016 at the same location from 10 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. prior to the Funeral Services at 11 a.m. Interment and graveside services will be held at 2:30 PM at the Vine Bluff Cemetery in Nephi, UT.
Anderson Funeral Home www.andersonfh1866.com