Our beloved husband, father, and grandfather Gail H. Leavitt passed away peacefully on the evening of Nov. 19, 2020. Gail was born on Oct. 25, 1931, in St. George to Charles Clinton Leavitt and Rhoda Hafen Leavitt.
Gail spent his childhood in Bunkerville, Nevada, playing slingshots with his brothers, Clair Leavitt and Alfred Levitt. He attended Virgin Valley High School in Overton, Nevada, where he enjoyed playing basketball and football. He graduated in 1948.
In the summer of 1955, Gail worked pumping gas at a service station where he met his eternal sweetheart, a young waitress named Lorraine Harmon. The two of them were engaged in January of 1956 and married in October. They were sealed in the Manti Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1965.
After their wedding, Gail and Lorraine moved to Monticello, Utah, where Gail worked driving trucks and moving uranium ore from the mine to the refinery. Eventually, this work took Gail and Lorraine to Moab, where they would remain for 43 years and raise their four children: Anette, Valerie, Bart and Greg.
In Moab, Gail and Lorraine made many close and lifelong friends. Gail was able to purchase a service station on Highway 191 where he would work for 25 years. His friends, children and grandchildren have many fond memories of visiting him at the station on warm summer afternoons.
After his retirement, Gail and Lorraine spent 13 years in Logandale, Nevada. Together they served as temple workers in the Las Vegas Nevada Temple for 10 of those years. Finally, they moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, so they could be near family.
Gail is survived by his wife, Lorraine Harmon Leavitt; his four children and their spouses, Flint and Anette Stephens of Highland, Utah; Bruce and Valerie Raymond of Pueblo, Colorado; Bart and Sharon Leavitt of Moab; and Greg and Candi Leavitt of Grand Junction, Colorado; and his brother, Alfred Leavitt of Parowan, Utah. Gail was a loving grandfather to 13 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Rhoda Leavitt; his brother, Clair Leavitt; and his grandson, Jacob Stephens.
Gail leaves us all with heavy hearts and fond memories of tailgating, hot dog roasts, four-wheeling, card games and quiet acts of kindness that made us feel loved. He taught us how to work hard and show kindness and two-step and change our oil. He lived his life exquisitely and we are sure that heaven was waiting, with powdered donuts and milk, for him to arrive.
His viewing will be held at the Moab LDS Stake Center (701 Locust Lane, Moab) at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28, immediately followed by an 11 a.m. funeral at the same location. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Please follow social distancing protocols if you would like to attend. The funeral will also be available to view via a livestream on the Spanish Valley Mortuary Facebook page. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.spanishvalleymortuary.com.
