Junior (Jay) Freeman Barrus

February 17, 1931 – August 29, 2019 – (age 88)

Junior (Jay) Freeman Barrus was born February 17, 1931, in Afton, Wyoming to Adeline Hoopes Barrus and Osmond (Sandy) Wendell Barrus. He passed away at the age of 88 on August, 29, 2019, attended by his loving wife, Mary, at their home in River Heights, Utah.

Jay grew up in Afton, Wyoming. After graduating as Valedictorian from Afton High School, Jay received a four-year U.S. Naval scholarship to the University of Utah, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Air Science.

He began playing the violin in high school, and subsequently played with several symphonic orchestras. Jay generously shared his talents and passion for music with his family, and so many others over the years. He was also an avid fisherman, hiker and passed on his lifelong love of the outdoors to his children and grandchildren. Jay skied from the time he was 4 until the age of 84! As a member of the U of U ski team, he earned many skiing honors and awards, including an alternate spot on the 1952 Olympic Ski Jump team.

Serving in both the United States Navy and the United States Air Force as a jet pilot for several years, he later settled his family in Bothell, Washington where they made their home for 30 years. Jay became a successful business man in real estate, investor and life insurance sales, and as a stockbroker.

2nd Lieutenant Barrus married Ann Mari Nilsson, of Sweden, on May 21, 1954. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple and became the proud parents of seven children. He was a devoted father and active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, serving as a Bishop in Bothell, Washington for 7 years. He also served faithfully as a temple worker for many years in the Seattle, Saint George and Logan temples.

On November 12, 2005, Jay and Mary Yancey were married in River Heights, Utah. They were later sealed in the Logan temple on December 23, 2006. Together they served in the Logan temple and made their home together in River Heights, Utah, where they lived happily for 14 years.

Jay is preceded in death by his first wife, Ann, his brothers, Boyd and D’Orr Barrus, and his sisters, Wilda Turner and Corrine Warren. Jay is survived by his wife, Mary, his children, Connie Winter, Dan Barrus, Neal (Susan) Barrus, Jeff (Janet) Barrus, Stuart (Carolee) Barrus, Evelyn Seidman, Pam Slone, and his brother, Dwight (Cleone) Barrus. He is also loved and will be missed by the entire Yancey family, his many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews and nieces.

Visitation will be from 10:00 – 11:30am, with funeral services beginning at 12:00pm, Friday, September 6, 2019, at Nyman Funeral Home, 753 South 100 East, Logan, Utah 84321. Graveside service will follow at Providence Cemetery, 900 East River Heights Road, Providence, Utah 84321.

For additional details, memoirs and condolences, please visit www.nymanfh.com.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.