Gary Roland Bingham

Gary Roland Bingham departed this life peacefully on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, holding hands with his sweetheart and surrounded by his loving family. He was born October 14, 1936, in Ogden, Utah, to Leone Rose Toone and Don Reeder Bingham. He was the oldest of their four children who included Noel, Gregg, and Marilyn.

Gary spent his childhood in Ogden, but his family moved to Huntsville during his teen years where he met great friends who would become his partners in small-town shenanigans and basketball. He loved entertaining his family with tales of the “Rough and rowdy Valley boys.” Due to his skinny frame, they dubbed him with the nickname “Sack.” 

Gary graduated with the class of 1954 from Weber High School in Ogden. He loved music and learned to play guitar, harmonica, piano and the accordion. He also took aeronautics and electronics classes that would spark a fascination, inspiring him to pursue a career in that field.

When he was sixteen, Gary worked as a cherry picker for an orchard in Weber County. While riding with the other employees on the cherry truck he met Ann Dunn, from Ogden. They started noticing each other at other activities like community dances and singing in the same Stake choirs. In 1955, he finally asked her out after he found out someone else was trying to start dating her. Two years later, on June 28 th , 1957, they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple and would spend sixty-seven memorable years together-with eternity to come.

Gary spent several years working as an electronics assembler for Hill Air Force Base. During that time, he completed specialized radar training. In 1959, he earned his Certificate as an Electronic Technician from Weber College.

From there, Gary began his electronics engineering career working for Sperry Engineering Corp. While not even changing desks, due to corporate mergers he worked for Sperry-Univac, Unisys, Loral, Paramax, Lockheed Martin, and L3. He retired from the last company in 1996. During his 37-year career as a Quality Assurance Engineer, test projects included the Sergeant Missile for the US Army, the SR-71 Blackbird, and the Predator Drone for the US Air Force. His career was unique and filled with secret spy stuff. He could tell us, but he would have had to kill us.

For 40 years, Gary and Ann reared their six children in Kaysville, Utah. Gary loved attending their Little League games and school programs. He was an awesome Scout Master, sharing his love of the beautiful outdoors with dozens of boy scouts. He’d also take his family camping, fishing, and dodging protective mama bears in Yellowstone. He also loved deer hunting. Perhaps unintentionally, he also taught them to yell at “those stupid refs” on TV during BYU Football and Utah Jazz games. His work took their family to Merzalben, Germany, from 1970- 71, and to Palm Harbor, Florida from 1979-81. In 2005, Gary and Ann moved to St George, Utah to enjoy their golden years in the golden sun.

Gary is a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served faithfully in various callings. He always loved singing and especially during his teen years in Huntsville when a music leader gathered a group of boys and created a barbershop quartet. During retirement he would do volunteer work, including delivering Meals on Wheels which he really enjoyed.

Gary and Ann have a great legacy with 21 grandkids and 18 great-grandkids. He loved riding his motorcycle, pitching horseshoes, going fishing, skiing, and playing X-box games with his grandkids making him the coolest grandpa ever. He also dearly loved watching them play sports.

He and Ann loved traveling and were fortunate enough to travel to Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Holland, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Cancun, and Tulum.

He is survived by his wife and children Gary Bingham Jr. (Betty), Vicki Wright (David), Ted Bingham (Pam), Kenneth Bingham, Kelly Bingham (Tanya-deceased, Stephanie), Brett Bingham (Sara), and his siblings Noel Bingham and Marilyn Barnes. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Gregg Bingham, brother-in-law Wayne Barnes, daughter-in-law Tanya Sauter Bingham and great-grandsons Rowan Bingham and Lewis Bingham.

The family thanks the incredible care workers at Dixie Hospice Care of St. George for their help and kindness with our dad. 

His was a life well lived.

Funeral services will be held at the Quail Valley Ward building at 1762 South River Road, St. George, Utah, 84790 on Friday, July 26th with a viewing at 9:30am and funeral services following at 11:00am. Interment will be in the Tonaquint Cemetery in St. George, Utah.