Fletcher “Fletch” Kerby, 80, passed away peacefully in his home on Sept. 22, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on March 12, 1938, in Moab to John Edgar and Ireta Fletcher-Kerby. He was raised in Moab and attended Grand County High School where he met his sweetheart, Wanda Nell Gibbs. They were married on June 23, 1956, in Moab. To their union was born one daughter, Kari Kim, and two sons Fletcher Craig, and Kelly Eddie Kerby.
He is survived by his wife, Wanda; sons, Craig (Brenda), of Elko, Nevada; and Kelly, of Carlin, Nevada; sister-in-law, Lynda (Ted) Sorenson, of Moab; Five grandchildren, Derrick (Krystal); Codi (Alicia); Robert (Crystal); Austin (Tosha); Kari (Colby); and Sheree (Bradley); and 20 great-grandchildren; one sister, Diane Smith, of Moab; one brother Jon E. (Norma), of Kerby, California; and numerous nieces, nephew and cousins. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kim, parents and sisters, Jaclyn, Patricia, Dixie Coorner and Kaye Hooper.
In high school, he was an awesome pitcher and was very competitive in the sport. He passed down those traits to his children and grandchildren.
In 1956, Fletch went to work at Atlas minerals and worked there for 10 years, then went underground with uranium mining for seven years following that.
He started his own concrete business, A Quality Concrete, in 1972, and worked alongside his boys. Jim and Jerry Ward and Harry Cleveland, were among his top hands for 15 years. They moved to Nevada in 1992, where Fletch was an underground gold miner until he retired in 2001.
With each occupation brought him new lifetime friends. Some of those friendships began in his childhood and remained throughout his life. His ability to make and keep friends was a hallmark in his life, for to know Fletch was to know a man of deep conviction to the principles of right and wrong, honesty and integrity. His unique sense of humor and caring heart kept the friendships new and forever.
Fletch spent his free time outdoors camping and archery hunting. He was a marksman with a bow. He had several passions in life and horse racing were among the top. He loved his horses.
In the last few years, he had spent all his time panning and assaying gold. He had it down to a science and could do it for hours. He designed a unique method to process the gold that nobody else could do. He never slowed down always finding something to fix or do around the yard, his grandson Austin would always come down to enjoy his company while completing the list of projects he had made up for him. For the past nine years his loyal companion, Trashy, was always by his side, you could often find them taking their early morning walks around the neighborhood.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, Sept. 28, at 11 a.m. at the Moab LDS, 400 North Chapel, with a viewing one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com.
