Jerry Michael Place

Jerry Michael Place, our beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, passed away in his sleep Thursday, July 2, 2026. Mike was born June 25, 1943, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the first child of Arthur Shell Place and Mary Virginia Heugly. At the time of Mike’s birth, his father Arthur was completing U.S. Army radio and communications training in California. His mother Virginia drove Mike to California, along with a friend and her baby, to wish the new fathers well before they shipped out to the Pacific, during World War II.

Mike graduated from Olympus High School, where he chose to join the U.S. Army Reserve at age 17. After high-school graduation, he was sent to Fort Ord in California for basic training and then assigned to Fort Ord Army Hospital as a medic. After six months, he returned to Utah and departed on a 2.5-year mission to the Germany-Stuttgart Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon his return home, Mike graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in political science, while continuing in the U.S. Army Reserve. He received an honorable discharge as Acting Staff Sergeant after eight years of service.

Mike married his sweetheart, Kathleen Lois Gillette, on March 18, 1966, in the Salt Lake Temple. Mike and Kathy were completely devoted to one another and to their marriage. They always made time for each other and took many opportunities to travel together throughout the world. On one very special trip, they served as ambassadors for the Church by special invitation of the queen of Thailand, for the country's bicentennial.

When he proposed to Kathy, Mike told her that he might not be the smartest or best-educated man she could find, but he promised he would outwork anyone, and that he would always be true to her. Mike kept both those promises, but at the same time he grew to be a brilliant businessman who read widely, thought deeply, and made friends in all places. In 1968, he became manager of the Bountiful Drive-In, which he and Kathy co-owned with Kathy’s three siblings and their spouses. In 1972, Mike became President of the newly-formed Trolley Theatres, which opened with four screens at Trolley Square and grew to a total of eighteen screens across the region. Mike served as the President of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) of Utah from 1981-83, and also served on NATO’s National Board of Directors for that term.

Mike’s final business venture began with the purchase of the Western Nut Company, again in partnership with Kathy’s siblings, in 1984. He expanded Western Nut from a small storefront operation to a full-scale nut-roasting factory and store that occupied most of a city block, with holiday sales at mall kiosks throughout Utah and Idaho. During this time, Mike chaired the Salt Lake Rotary’s Board of Directors and led the Rotary in raising funds for many local charities and worthy causes.

Mike was a wonderful father and a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An Eagle Scout in his youth, he served in many capacities in the Church, including in Boy Scouts leadership, as a Counselor to both Bishop Blair Johnston and Bishop Glade Pincock, and as Bishop of the young single adult ward in the Bountiful Heights Stake. As a member of the stake high council, Mike was responsible for the planning and construction of the Bountiful Heights Stake Center. Mike took these roles seriously, served diligently, and loved and prayed for his wife, his children, and each Church member under his care.

The family rejoices in Mike’s reuniting with his eternal companion, Kathy, whose death preceded his. Mike is survived by his children: Jeffrey M. Place (Angela), Kimberly Rudd DeSilva (Rick), Stephanie Mercer (Loren), Kristy Powell (Ben), and Heather Morgan (Mike); 23 grandchildren and soon-to-be 11 great-grandchildren; his sister Star Place and nieces Natalie Blackman (Aaron Sparks), Brittany Blackman (Andrew Morgan), and 2 great-nephews; his sister-in-law Doris Gillette, and many Gillette and Bay nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Arthur and Virginia Place; brothers-in-law David Gillette and Larry Gillette (Mary), sister-in-law JoAnn Bay (Mac), and son-in-law Paul Woods Rudd.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 9, 2026, at the Bountiful Heights Stake Center, 33 Moss Hill Drive, Bountiful, Utah. A viewing will be held from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment - Lakeview Cemetery, 1640 East Lakeview Drive, Bountiful, Utah.

Services will be streamed live on Russon Mortuary & Crematory YouTube Channel and this obituary page.