Brent Howard Elkins

Brent Howard Elkins passed away April 30 at the age of 79 from complications after a fall in his front driveway. Brent was born March 27, 1946. He was preceded in death by his wife and parents, Howard Amos Elkins and Alice Henrietta Barnett of Salt Lake City, UT.

Brent married Carol Ann Pierson on November 21, 1969. They resided in Farmington, UT.

Brent graduated from West High School in Salt Lake. Shortly after his graduation, Brent joined the Utah Air National Guard in January of 1965. He served first as a reservist, then as “full time” and was honorably discharged after 35 years with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. His duties included servicing and maintaining the Guard’s fleet of planes.

Brent would often times talk about growing up on the west side of Salt Lake where his family owned a home on the Jordan River. He has many stories about good things, and bad things having to do with a river running in your back yard. A childhood friend, Robert told us this story - “We were in a nearby field shooting bows and arrows. Robert told Brent that when you shoot an arrow straight into the air, it never came back down to hit you. Brent tested the theory, and sure enough the arrow did not come straight down, but landed 2 feet away. After that, Brent would always say ‘Robert tried to kill me’.”

Later he developed a love for motorcycle riding, especially dirt bikes... And guns. He spent many weekends with his friends on trips all over Utah and the surrounding states where they would ride bikes and “shoot stuff.” But especially in Southern Utah.

When they retired, Carol and Brent did a bit of traveling. One of their favorite trips was a cruise on the Alaska coast. They enjoyed the Reno, Nevada Air Races and the annual Sema Convention in Las Vegas. They also spent a lot of time in the mountains near Marysville, UT on their side-by-side 4-wheeler.

Brent was a skilled mechanic. If you needed something fixed, Brent was the “go-to” for our family.

Brent had many neighbors around him that he loved. As a family, we are especially grateful to them as they helped Brent in the years after Carol passed away. Along with many longtime friends who helped care for him these last few years. Also, during his life he really enjoyed talking with anyone older than him about their life experiences, especially if they were involved with the military.

Brent was a hard person to get close to, but once you did, you had a lifelong friend. He will be missed by many.

Graveside services will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at the Farmington City Cemetery.