John Pete Urses

John Pete Urses, lovingly known as Johnny Utah to friends and Papa John to his grandchildren, passed away on October 16, 2026, at the age of 90.

Born in Eureka, Utah, to immigrant parents Amelia and Petras (Pete) Michael Urses, he was eight years old when his father passed away. Soon after that, he moved with his mother and sister, Ruth, to Salt Lake City, Utah. John joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was 10 years old and baptized his mother when he was 16. John gained a stepfather when Amelia married Newell Turner.

John spent his youth hunting in Left Hand Fork, fishing on the upper Provo River, and, to the chagrin of his mother, coming home with torn clothes after reluctantly participating in fights organized by his friends. They always bet on John.

John attended West High School and excelled in several sports, including track, baseball, basketball, and football. He was Junior Class President and WHAM (West High Associated Men) President his senior year. John graduated from Seminary and was fortunate to have Marion D. Hanks as his teacher. In 2007, he was inducted into West High School's Athletics Hall of Fame.

John continued his love of sports as a standout center (#54) for the University of Utah, starting all four years. Playing under head coach Jack Curtis, his team captured the Skyline Conference Championship in 1957. That same year, John earned First Team All-Skyline Conference honors. This team is credited with inventing and perfecting the famous shovel pass. Along with focusing on football, John joined the Air National Guard and only occasionally fell asleep in the cockpit of the general's plane he was meant to be inspecting.

After graduating with a degree in economics (or perhaps geology; it depends on whom you ask), John chose to continue his football career professionally. Although drafted by the Baltimore Colts, the lure of a larger signing bonus took him to Canada, where he played for the Edmonton Eskimos before later joining the Tucson Rattlers.

On June 2, 1960, John married his sweetheart, Beth Ann Butler. Five years later they solemnized their marriage in the Salt Lake Temple, sealing their two young sons to them. Together, they built a strong community of friends that remained close throughout their lives. As they started their family, they continued cherished traditions of large group game nights, boating at the lake, trips to the family cabin in Kamas, and an annual trip to Laguna Beach, California.

John spent his early career at Pitney Bowes but devoted the remainder of his working years to entrepreneurship, owning Cottonwood Glass and Mirror and Associated Business Products. As John neared retirement, he chose to go all in on his passion for hunting gold and became the owner of Chuck’s Detectors, where he and his buddies would gather each day to tell tall tales and dream about striking it rich before heading over to Woody's for burgers.

John passed along his love of the outdoors to his four children, often sneaking them out of school to go waterskiing or snow skiing. He loved finding glass-like water to ski on the Big Hawaiian and carving big, graceful turns in the powder at Alta. The perfect day for John was taking his family on a deer hunt, not finding any deer, and eating sandwiches and Snickers bars on the tailgate of his truck on a crisp fall afternoon, when the leaves were golden and the mountain air was cool.

To know John was to love John. With his quick wit and impish sense of humor, he quickly and easily made friends, talking to and teasing everyone he met. No one was immune. He was as well known for his elaborate pranks as he was for his big, all-encompassing bear hugs. He greeted everyone with a smile and a rib-crushing squeeze.

Beyond his fun, outgoing personality was a hardworking man of the highest integrity who loved his family with all his heart. On any given afternoon, John could be found at a football or soccer game, a track meet, or a dance recital, enthusiastically supporting one of his children or grandchildren.

As a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John believed in eternal families, and we look forward to the day when we will hear his booming voice once again welcoming us with the words, “Well, I'll be darned, look who it is!”

John is survived by his wife, Beth; his four children, Kurt (Sue), Brad (Melanie), Doug (Mary), and Karen (Geoff); six grandchildren, Ashley (Brandon), Amelia (Justin), Erik (Maya), Megan (German), Zach, and Lizzie; and seven great-grandchildren, London, Olive, Holden, Harper, Evolet, Apollo, and Iyla. He was preceded in death by his parents, Amelia and Pete; his sister, Ruth; and his stepfather, Newell Turner.

A viewing will be held on Tuesday, October 27, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Memorial Estates Mountain View Cemetery, 3115 E. 7800 S., Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121.

A private family memorial service will be held at a later date.