Loyal Alma Baker

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Loyal Alma Baker, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandpa, brother, educator, scholar, Patriot and disciple of Jesus Christ, passed away peacefully on June 7, 2026, at the age of 80.

Loyal was born on February 23, 1946, to Glen and Crystal Baker. He spent his early years in Salem, Edgemont, and Provo, Utah, in a home shaped by faith, work, family, and learning. His parents’ Salem farm gave him a childhood full of horses, cows, hay wagons, gardens, chores, and siblings who learned early how to work and laugh. As a small child, Loyal survived polio during the peak American epidemic in the late 1940’s, an early sign of the determination that would mark his life.

From a young age, Loyal was curious about nearly everything. He loved animals, drawing, tools, scouting, hunting, and the outdoors. While at Brigham Young High School he pursued wrestling, weightlifting, pole vaulting, photography, speech, scouting, and service. At BY High, Loyal’s athleticism also showed up when he served anonymously as “Willey the Wild Cat,” the school mascot, jumping and tumbling with the cheer squad. If Loyal wondered how something worked, he studied it. If he wanted something built, he found a way to build it. If a subject captured his mind, he read, wrote, taught, and talked about it until it became part of him.

After graduating from high school, Loyal served his country in the United States Army Reserve, including training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He then answered a higher call as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Finland. Finland was unexpected and the language was difficult, but Loyal came to love the people and the work. His mission strengthened a testimony of Jesus Christ that remained the foundation of his life.

After returning from Finland, Loyal resumed his Army Reserve commitment during the Vietnam era, joining the 328th General Hospital Unit at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, where he served as a supply clerk and worked with hospital records. He later completed summer training with the unit at the Presidio near San Francisco and was honorably discharged in February 1970.

Loyal attended and graduated from Brigham Young University. With characteristic determination, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in statistics, and he continued graduate study in the field. At BYU, he began a lifelong love of teaching, helping students understand difficult things and gain confidence in their own ability to learn. He remained a lifelong BYU sports fan.

It was also during his BYU years that he met the love of his life, RuthAnn Brown. Their story began at the BYU Bookstore, where Loyal first noticed the pretty new secretary who had chosen that job because it did not require Sunday work. He asked her out before her mission, and she kindly declined because she was preparing to serve. Loyal did not forget her. After RuthAnn returned from her mission to Sweden, their paths crossed again at BYU, and he began again. Their courtship became one of faith, patience, humor, flowers, letters, and conviction. On August 10, 1972, Loyal and RuthAnn were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple, beginning an eternal partnership built on devotion, sacrifice, and enduring love.

Their first “home” together was a partly finished Finnish sauna behind Loyal’s Provo house, complete with a loft and very little privacy. To Loyal and RuthAnn, it was cozy and romantic. From that humble beginning grew a family of fourteen children and a home filled with faith, books, meals, music, sports, projects, prayers, and cherished memories. Loyal’s greatest earthly joy was found among those he loved. He delighted in his children and did the quiet work of a father: providing, teaching, fixing, hauling, building, blessing, counseling, and showing up.

Professionally, Loyal worked for many years as a statistician at Hill Air Force Base, applying his mind to difficult problems. Later, he devoted much of his life as an educator at Weber State University, where he helped countless students develop confidence and a love of learning. He retired from Weber State in 2021 after a long career of teaching and service.

Loyal was a man of many interests and talents. He loved history, genealogy, frontier craftsmanship, outdoor adventures, and studying the scriptures. He made buckskin clothing, studied historical firearms, built and used tipis, loved pioneer skills and traditions, and built a family cabin that became part of his family’s memories. He created cherished traditions, including Fourth of July celebrations and family gatherings, that gave his children and grandchildren an appreciation for the America that he loved.

He was also a thoughtful gospel scholar. Loyal spent countless hours researching scripture, family history, doctrine, dates, covenants, and the gathering of Israel. His writings reflected a lifelong desire to understand God’s plan and help prepare for the Savior’s return. Throughout his life, he served faithfully in many Church callings and sought to strengthen those around him. He believed deeply in faith, family, education, personal responsibility, and the promises of the gospel.

Those who knew Loyal will remember his intelligence, quiet dedication, thoughtful conversations, willingness to serve, and unwavering testimony of Jesus Christ. Above all, he will be remembered as a loving husband, devoted father, proud grandfather and great-grandfather, faithful son of God, and lifelong learner.

Loyal is now reunited with his beloved RuthAnn, with his parents Glen and Crystal, his brothers LeGrand, LeEarl and LaRell. Though he will be deeply missed, his family finds comfort in the promises of the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the knowledge that families can be together forever.

He is survived by his fourteen children—Justin, Joseph, Sharstina, Karina, Jaran, Jonathan, Jeremy, Vyedka, Vanessa, Erika, Jessika, Joshua, Jedediah, and Amanda—and their spouses; 56 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; his brother Luain, sister Glenonna; and many extended family members and friends who will miss him dearly. Loyal took quiet delight in pointing out that, with 82 direct descendants, he had already outnumbered Jacob’s household when Jacob went down into Egypt—and knowing Dad, he probably had the math checked twice.

The viewing will be on Tuesday, June 30 from 6pm to 8pm at Russon Mortuary, 1941 N Main Farmington, UT. Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday July 1, at the Brookhaven Ward, 190 N Country Ln, Fruit Heights, 11:00 AM. Interment will be at the Eastlawn Memorial 4800 Timpview Dr, Provo, UT. The family expresses heartfelt gratitude for the many prayers, acts of kindness, and expressions of love received during this time.