Stephen G Lym

Stephen G Lym was born May 3, 1931 to Jasmine Gessel and Joseph Henry Lym in Salt Lake City, Utah. His only sibling, Ardath, was 4 years older than him. Steve grew up in the Sugarhouse area of Salt Lake. He worked hard from a young age with a paper route at age 13 and a Belgian Homer Pigeon business at the age of 14. At the age of 15 he rebuilt a 1928 Model A Ford Cabriolet adding a V8 engine, hydraulic brakes and a Lincoln transmission. His car, The Spider, was clocked at over 113 mph in 1948. He graduated from South High School in 1948 at the age of 17 and entered the University of Utah. He studied business and entered the Kappa Sigma fraternity where he made many lifelong friends. His schooling was interrupted by the Korean Conflict when he entered the Air Force. After the war, he entered the Air National Guard with his eye on becoming a pilot. Soon after that (while on a date with someone else) he met a cute young woman named Mickie at Idle Hour dance hall. A few nights later they went to the Villa Theatre together to see the movie “Picnic”. That was December 1955. They were married May 31, 1956. Over the next few years they had 4 children together – Greg, Stephanie, Jo and Rob who eventually gave them 11 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. Mickie didn’t want him to be a pilot so he decided to do sales. After several sales jobs, Steve was hired as a sales representative for Johns-Manville, a major manufacturer of building products. Within 5 years as junior sales associate he had increased business by 250%. He continued to have success with each promotion he received and rapidly worked his way up the company moving to Atlanta, GA in 1971, the San Francisco Bay Area in 1972 and Denver, CO in 1974. He was made a VP of the company in 1976 and held several positions over the next 6 years. However, in 1982 JM filed for bankruptcy because of asbestos lawsuits. Many people lost their jobs and Steve was demoted back to being a regional sales manager. He continued to be a successful marketer and manager throughout the rest of his career until he retired after 38 years of service showing his determination in the face of difficulty. Dad was known for his passion for Jazz music, golf, yodeling, story telling and clothes. Most nights when he wasn’t traveling you could find him relaxing on the couch while listening to Jazz music. He had endless records and tapes of various Jazz artists and even got Duke Ellington to come to Utah for the 25th anniversary of the Air National Guard. He loved playing golf although he never excelled at it. He played golf regularly with his buddies and worked to improve his game by getting better equipment – something he called the “arms race”. Dad was always well dressed whether on the golf course, at work or out somewhere. He knew what colors and textures to wear in what season and on which occasion. He was also a master story teller building suspense and adding humor to even the most mundane stories. But one of his unique talents reserved for those closest to him was his yodeling. It only happened when he was in a really good mood and was often followed by his one and only “Ha-Ha”. Once Steve and Mickie became empty nesters, they bought a second home in Palm Desert for the winters and moved back home to Salt Lake for the summers. Palm Desert became a favorite vacation spot for all the kids and grandkids. Mickie died in December 2015 after 59 ½ years of marriage. Steve was a good father who taught his children many valuable lessons – to work hard, be frugal, persevere in the face of adversity, be sincere and have a sense of humor. We will always be grateful to him.

Stephen G Lym

May 3, 1931 - January 20, 2024