Joseph Blake Everett

Joseph Blake Everett passed away from heart failure on August 26th 2026 after a joyful afternoon at Deer Creek reservoir.

Joe was born March 22, 1973, on the US military base in Augsburg, Germany. He lived in Utah and Maryland, and as an older child spent three years in Germany, where he learned to speak German. He graduated from Anne Arundel High School in Maryland and attended BYU for a year before serving an LDS mission to St. Petersburg, Russia.

When he returned to BYU, he fell in love with Judith Hale, and they were married on December 28, 1994. They moved to Provo, where they started their family, and after he graduated in Family History and Russian in 1996, he was hired as a Russian cataloger at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Joe worked in many capacities at Family Search and Ancestry before landing his dream job as the Family History Librarian at BYU. There he revolutionized the services, focusing on bringing the blessings of family history to the students as well as the wider community.

Joe was active on various genealogical committees, serving as chair on many. He published several articles, taught multiple classes involving Russian and German paleography and German and Central European research, and pioneered the Aims of My Ancestry student experience at BYU. His great joy was helping everyone, especially young people, find belonging through connecting personally with their ancestors.

Joe loved spending time with his family. He enjoyed the outdoors, hiking, watersports, camping, and taking long, scenic drives. He loved to travel, especially with family, going many times to Europe and twice to Korea, and he was careful to highlight all his travels in a US and World Atlas.

Joe also loved to sing, participating in the Utah Baroque Ensemble and the Mapleton Chorale. He began taking voice lessons in 2024, improving his vocal range to include bass, baritone, and tenor, and won Mapleton’s Got Talent for his rendition of “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton. Joe sang whenever he could: while exercising, puttering around the house, driving, and of course, in the shower.

Joe was a faithful and dedicated disciple of Christ, serving in many callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and attending the temple regularly to do work for his ancestors. He especially loved serving in the Young Men’s organization, where he spent a lot of time with his four sons.

Joe is survived by his wife, Judith Hale Everett, his six children, Rachel (Noah Allen), Callan, Blake (‘Ailana Everett), Brigham, John, and James, and his granddaughter ‘Ewalani.

Funeral services will be held Friday, September 4, at 11 am at the Legacy Chapel, 1050 N 300 W, Mapleton, Utah. A viewing for friends and family will be held Thursday evening from 6 to 8 at the Mapleton Wheeler Mortuary located at 82 W 400 N Mapleton, and on Friday just prior to the service from 9:30 to 10:30 am at the Legacy Chapel. Burial will be in the Springville Evergreen Cemetery.

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.