Kenneth G Slaugh

This is not an obituary simply giving notice of the inevitability of life’s end. Rather, it is a celebration of the legacy and heritage of a wonderful man. In those quiet and still moments we may hear the soft whisper serving a somber message that the world itself lost a truly great man. Then realization seeps in that this loss was not just borne by his family and friends but all he ever met during his short time here on earth. But the feeling of loss only comes because of the great life that preceded it.

Kenneth G Slaugh passed away in Spanish Fork, Utah, on March 20, 2026, at the age of 79 years. Ken was born in Vernal, Utah, on January 26, 1947, being the natural child of Lynn Eaton and Ruby Gilroy. Ken was raised from his infancy by Ruby and her husband, Perry Glendon Slaugh (married in 1948), who adopted Ken and became not just his father but also Ken’s best friend.

Ken was raised in Jensen, Utah, and Rangely, Colorado, by Perry and Ruby, who then had a daughter, Connie Jane Slaugh, when Ken was 9 years old. Ken attended and played basketball at Rangley High School in 1965, then attended two semesters at Rangely Junior College. On January 28, 1966, Perry, Ruby, Ken and Connie were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. The family went to be sealed together because Ken was preparing to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Chile. Ken’s mission in Chile from 1966 to 1968 was presided over by then-apostle Elder Spencer W. Kimball, who would later become Prophet. During an area conference, Elder Kimball told the missionaries if they arranged to be married in the temple, he would personally perform their sealing ordinance.

When Ken returned from his mission, he transferred to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Cela Doy Briggs, who was born in Crowley, Louisiana and raised in Vidor, Texas, met Ken at the beginning of 1969 at BYU and they courted for a short time before getting married. Ken made the arrangements, and he and Cela were married by Elder Kimball on May 28, 1969, in the Salt Lake Temple. BYU had unexpectedly changed their finals to earlier that semester and Ken failed all his classes to get married to Cela. It paid off. They were married nearly 57 years.

After the birth of their first daughter Edika Teresa Slaugh in 1970, Ken was drafted in March of 1971 into the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Cela was pregnant with their second child. During basic training, Ken applied for and became the Chaplain’s assistant. Each time Ken’s number came up to be sent to Vietnam, the Chaplain told them he needed Ken to stay, so Ken remained serving state-side throughout the war. When it came time for their second child to be born, Cela returned to her family’s home in Texas, where Ken surprised her in the middle of the night on his leave after their son, Derek Stefan Slaugh, was born in 1971.

After serving approximately 20 months and being honorably discharged in December of 1973 from the Army, Ken returned to college on the G.I. Bill. In 1974, Ken graduated from BYU with a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Spanish. A month later, Ken and Cela welcomed another daughter, Danielle Alisa Slaugh, to their family. Ken then transferred to the University of Utah for post-graduate studies to obtain a Master’s Degree in Social Work. He remained a lifelong BYU football fan, even after graduating on June 10, 1976, from its rival.

Ken became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializing in providing mental health therapy to children and adolescents. He helped a significant number of patients, frequently referring to them as his own “kids.” Ken worked for the Utah State Hospital, Wasatch Canyon’s Hospital, LDS Hospital, Raindancer, and eventually retired from Discovery Ranch. He authored a book titled Risk Therapy: A New Approach. The number of people he helped during his career is innumerable. He loved working with the horses at Discovery Ranch doing equine therapy, even at one point purchasing a horse of his own. He was a cowboy at heart and never went anywhere without his hat, suspenders and belt-buckle.

After his children became adults, Ken developed a love for collecting Native American and Western art and for collecting books. Ken developed a unique artistic talent for carving mat boards, framing, and even created art pieces himself. Ken and Cela opened an art gallery in Sandy, Utah, for a while called The Silvertip Gallery and Trading Company, named after his favorite animal, the silvertip grizzly bear. Ken and Cela’s children’s and grandchildren’s homes are filled with gifts of art as a beautiful reminder of his love for it and for them.

Ken suffered from Frontotemporal dementia during his last years, which provided for a long goodbye. Cela made the difficult decision to keep him home as long as she could, which she did up until only two weeks prior to his passing. Cela gifted him a quality of life most dementia patients do not enjoy, allowing him to remain home in his familiar environment. When he entered the hospital with a simple infection, he declined rapidly, entering hospice for only a few days before passing away at the Spanish Fork Rehab and Nursing. His wife, children and grandchildren gathered, Ken was given a beautiful blessing by his grandson Dominic, and all present were able to say their last goodbyes to this wonderful man. Ken’s character, influence, legacy and example perpetuate through his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and will continue through future generations to come.

Ken is survived by his wife of 57 years, Cela Doy Briggs Slaugh of Springville, Utah; daughter Edika Teresa Slaugh and spouse Tomas Stewart of Herriman, Utah; son Derek Stefan Slaugh of Provo, Utah; daughter Danielle Alisa Slaugh and spouse Aaron Douglas Allison of Herriman, Utah; Ken’s sister, Connie Jane Slaugh Green and her husband Jeffrey Green of Salt Lake City, Utah (their children Jared and Anslea); Edika’s children Dominic Douglas (his wife Toree and their sons Milo and Ryder), Cassidy Douglas, and Addison Douglas; Derek’s children (with Alisa Foster McKay) Io (Addyson) Slaugh and husband Steve Pentico, Kaleb Slaugh (his wife Mikhail), Carly McKay, and Megan McKay; and Danielle’s children Katarina Allison and Xander Allison.

Ken was preceded in death by his father, Perry Glendon Slaugh (d. August 26, 1992) and his mother Ruby Gilroy Slaugh (d. May 27, 2008), with whom he is now joyously reunited after many years apart, surely welcomed with open arms and tears of rejoicing by those who went before him.

A viewing will be held on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Wheeler & Sunberg Funeral Homes, 211 East 200 South, Springville, Utah, 84663. A Graveside Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at the Utah Veterans Memorial Park, 17111 1700 West Bluffdale, Utah, 84065.

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.